#scratch that it's been like forty years

[ms-demeanor]

So I have vision insurance again which means I was able to go to the optometrist and get glasses through insurance for the first time in 11 years (instead of paying out of pocket and getting glasses from zenni) and here are my notes:

It's *NOT GREAT* that Luxotica is mentioned by name on the insurance card printout

I know everything got more expensive in the last ten years, but frames also got a lot more expensive and for some reason there was a huge gap in prices - my insurance covered $130 for frames and the office had a bunch of frames for $70 and a bunch of frames for $150 but basically no frames between those two price points.

When you say "I can't afford to go over the allowance" on XYZ thing they are not even *considering* the cost of progressive bifocals. So I was like "no coating, cheap frames, no extras" and then they were like "okay so the progressive bifocal is going to be over a hundred dollars more" and I was like "how much is the bifocal with a line" and they were like "oh that's only $15 but we don't consider that appropriate for your age, we recommend this other kind of lens" and it doesn't matter what you consider age appropriate for me, I can't afford that so we're not doing that.

The seventy dollar frames are all kind of trash. Super thin, super bendy, and not in a good "flexible fit" way but more in a "if you fall asleep in these you will wake up with broken glasses" way.

They wrote down my reading prescription wrong? For the last ten years I've been slowly creeping up from +.25 to my current +2.50; they told me it had increased but the printout said +.75 so either my prescription has been wrong for a while or they missed the 2 at the front of that number and my glasses are going to show up with a low magnification. (I noticed after I'd left the office but before the glasses arrived).

Given all of that, with insurance: $25 for a pair of glasses, which included the office copay.

So then of course I went to zenni and ordered glasses anyway because I've been wearing the same frame design for seven years and want another pair that look exactly like that.

Progressive bifocals WERE the most expensive part of the order, and because my prescription is stronger they are getting progressively more expensive - initially the upgrade to bifocal cost something like $30 for a lower magnification, now they're $85 for the stronger prescription.

And that's it, that's the expensive part. Fifteen dollar frames, five dollar anti-reflective coating, total for bifocals was around a hundred dollars; I got a pair of single-vision sunglasses for under $20.

Part of the reason I decided to spend more at zenni than at my optometrist's office was because I was able to get good, sturdy frames that I know fit my face and will survive mosh pits and me falling asleep on them without cracking. In order to get the same thing at the optometrist's office I would have had to pay thirty dollars more for lenses as well as forty more for frames so I would have walked out of there paying more for a pair of glasses with frames that I wasn't super excited about (there was a pair that was *okay* but not great that were similar in construction to my current frames but more bulky and square) than I did for glasses that I know I like and a pair of sunglasses.

I did end up paying less out of pocket for the visit than I would have without the insurance, and $15 for a pair of back-up glasses isn't bad. But it was all-in-all a frustrating experience.

However: I've been wearing the same pair of glasses for three years and the anti-reflective coating is worn away in some places and they're so scratched that they're impossible to actually clean in some places and large bastard looked through them last week and was like "OH! No wonder you can't tell when you need to clean your windshield! You don't get to drive at night until those are replaced" so no matter what glasses I'm wearing next week they're going to be an improvement.

[thoughtless-muse]

“for whom the tongue craves to taste,” [d.d]

“the cdc showers”

a/n: quick disclaimer – this is actually just a snippet of a larger piece that I’m putting together (a smutty 5+1 prompt, five times daryl made you cum, and the one time he let you return the favor) but as it’s my first real attempt at smut, I wanted to post this as a means to garner some constructive criticism before finishing the piece. If you’d be so kind to read and lmk your thoughts/critiques, I’d really appreciate it!

EDIT: I know it’s not how the majority of 5+1 prompts are done, but I’ve decided to post each segment as they are finished. I just think it’s an easier/less stressful method for me, so I hope you guys don’t mind the posting choice. the posts will be linked together for easier access.

the cdc showers – arrow mishaps lead to frisky fun – ever done it in a loft? – cold iron bars – the watchtower – I want a taste, too

c/w: explicit sexual content, cunnilingus, shower cunnilingus, tongue fucking, fingering, language, dirty talk, undisclosed age gap, 18+

word count: 2.4k

that morning, had anyone scooped you off to the side and told you that mere hours after arriving at the pipe-dream that was the CDC you’d be corralled into a hot shower with none other than daryl dixon squished between your thighs, you’d have laughed straight in their face and directed them towards the nearest mental institution – not that that would do anyone much good, given the state of things; but had anyone declared a statement that outrageous, you’d have thought their mind already gone, much like the drooling, shuffling, decaying bodies wandering the earth.

yet here you were, a steady jet of hot water battering the sore muscles of your back, liquor-laden torso slightly slumped, thighs spread open by broad shoulders and daryl dixon’s wicked tongue licking your little cunny straight to nirvana.

how the fuck did you even end up here, anyway?

it was so uncharacteristic of you – you knew next to nothing about daryl dixon. he was simply a mutual stranger. you’d never even had more than a few fleeting conversations with the man, for fuck’s sake; if you could even call them that. daryl was brusque and wholly unapproachable, and his attitude left a lot to be desired. due to his unpleasantness, you’d opted to keep your distance and observe rather than to interact. to be completely honest, you’d been more judgmental rather than observant of the man before, back at the quarry, internally critiquing his sour attitude, accent and frayed clothes; and, shamefully, even at times presuming that he was some forty year old virgin that had been holed up in his mother’s basement before the world went to shit – but, fuck, were you ever wrong.

maybe he was forty, maybe he had been holed up in his mother’s basement, who the fuck knows, but he sure as fuck wasn’t a virgin – at least, his tongue wasn’t. the way he moved it, fucked it into you, made a mess of you with it, there was no way he wasn’t experienced with it.

you let out a loud, trembling gasp when daryl suddenly broke his tender tongue-flicks to slide his teeth gently against your clit before wrapping his lips around it and sucking.

okay, fuck, scratch that. he was experienced with his whole mouth.

unlike the few other men you’d allowed to taste the heaven between your legs, daryl used his entire lower face to devour you – his tongue was the star of the show, of course, but his lips, nose and chin made a hell of a supporting cast. when his tongue was busy fucking your walls, his nose was right against your clit in its place, his head shaking side to side, applying just enough pressure to bring you pleasure but not enough to stimulate you into orgasm; and then, as if he could simply innately sense when you were becoming desperate for more, his tongue would slip from your hole and return to your clit once more, circling and flicking it with expert movements, quickly bringing you right back to that sweet precipice.

how long had he been at it?

the water wasn’t cold yet – or maybe your body was just too hot to register that it was; but with the amount of times that daryl had built then robbed you of your orgasm, you drunkenly surmised that it had to of been a good fifteen minutes. any other man would have tapped out from exhaustion already.

of course, there were times when his tongue would get tired, but even then, unlike your previous lovers, he seemed loathe to leave you without any contact – he would alternate between giving your clit chaste little kisses and moving his lips against your entire cunt as if it were a second mouth that he was intent on claiming; then, when his tongue was rested enough, he would dive right back into devouring you.

it was absolutely wrecking you, in the best and worst ways.

maybe it was simply the affects of the alcohol swimming through your veins that fed you the illusion of this being the best damn head you’d ever received; maybe it was because you certainly didn’t have a lot of other experiences to compare it to; or maybe it was the warmth that came with the comfort of hot water and a full stomach that made it so much better – either way, you were almost at the brink now, again, thighs quaking with the effort of holding your body upright and staving off your impending orgasm; you knew daryl would more than likely take it away if he sensed it, and you weren’t sure if you could handle that.

“oh, god,” you hissed out when daryl flattened his tongue against your clit, flicking it with short, harsh movements, before slipping it down to part your folds and lick up your slit. he transitioned between the repetitive movements at a near imperceptible speed, without ever having to trade out accuracy and rhythm for it. it was a dangerous cocktail of pleasure that had you damn near seeing stars. each harsh swipe of his tongue against your clit sent zips of electricity up your spine, and built a familiar tension within your gut.

“ya like tha’, sweetheart?” daryl parted from your cunt just enough to inquire huskily, his voice so low that you barely even managed to catch it over the volume of the hissing spray. you nearly whined at the loss of his tongue, and, rather than answer his question, which you could hardly even decipher at the moment, you reached a hand down to tangle your fingers into the short hair at his nape, using what leverage you had to push his head forward until the tip of his nose brushed against your sensitive clit once more.

“no, d-don’t – don’t talk…” you slurred out, tugging at his hair insistently and pulling a deep, rumbling chuckle from the man below you.

“some manners you have,” daryl drawled, but to your delight, returned his tongue to your slit, parting your wet folds and slipping it past the rim of your tight entrance. your fingers twitched against his nape as you released a high, airy sigh, and your hips began to move of their own accord, humping your cunt against his face and pulling even more vibrating vocalizations from his throat. you just wanted firmer friction, damn it.

your stomach was stirring, tight, that pressure slowly mounting. it felt fucking good, the way he was thrusting and wiggling his tongue against your gummy walls, fucking you with the thick muscle, his nose bumping into your clit and sending subtle jolts up your spine, and those vibrations and sounds, fuck! – but it just wasn’t enough. you needed something different, something more.

“do… do what you were doing before…” you requested breathlessly, hips trembling, fingers digging into the skin of his nape in desperation. “‘m so close, daryl… just need more.”

the thought of keeping your impending orgasm away from his awareness seemed to have slipped away in the midst of the tremulous pleasure he was bringing you, and maybe you shouldn’t have let the information out, but you were so desperate. your tummy was so fucking tight, that coil winding and winding to a painful climax, and holding it in just seemed impossible, you needed to let it go – and at the moment, the only way you could possibly reach orgasm was through daryl.

daryl flicked his eyes up to meet yours, and though your vision was a bit hazy from the steam and alcohol, you swore the man was smirking up at you from within your cunt. daryl was silent for a moment, all movements against your cunny paused, before he leaned back slightly and said, lowly, “why don’ I do somethin’ better, instead?”

before your drunk, horny, fuddled mind could truly decipher his words daryl was in motion; his warm hand gripped the back of your knee, bending your leg easily and hoisting it atop his shoulder – distantly, you registered a strange sensation against the skin of your calf (was that a shirt? was daryl fully clothed right now?) – and once your leg was stabilized, he skirted the fingers of his other hand up your other leg, the one that was still planted to the floor of the shower.

his fingertips grazed your knee, then the plush flesh of your thigh, before reaching between your hips. you jumped slightly when you felt the pad of his finger run over your slit, the thick digit parting your folds smoothly, the tip dipping ever so subtly into your entrance every so often. like he was testing the waters, or something.

“d-daryl, what are you doing?” you inquired, heart tripping over itself, apprehension twisting in your gut for the first time since he’d invited himself into your shower and initiated this whole thing.

wait, had he invited himself? or did you do that?

you couldn’t remember.

“shh, jus’ trus’ me, sweetheart. This’s gon’ blow yer mind.” daryl responded back, calmly, warm breath fanning over your sensitive clit as he spoke. your breath shuddered in your lungs, but any further objections died in your throat when daryl’s hot tongue met your sex, circling, flicking, flattening, devouring – his pace was much faster and firmer than before, the pleasure much more intense than what had previously been given.

“o-oh, fuck! daryl!” you moaned, your hand sliding up from his nape to the crown of his head, fingers fisting into his hair to hold his head still as you rutted your hips forward to meet his skilled tongue.

“shit, that’s it, baby,” daryl panted, muffled, into the slick heat of your cunt, tongue drawing lazy circles between his words. “jus’ fuckin’ lose it. use my tongue, sweetheart.”

it felt so fucking good. it felt like your cunt was melting right into daryl’s mouth, searing hot and drippy, sloppy, coating his lips, jaws, nose, and neck with copious amounts of your arousal – all the while daryl growled, groaned, and moaned as he slurped it down, as if it was the very nectar of life itself.

your gut felt like it would burst – at any moment, with any flick of his tongue, in time with any of those vibrating groans, you’d be exploding all over daryl’s face, releasing every single ounce of the pent-up arousal daryl had inflicted upon your body over the last fifteen minutes in a single second.

“daryl, daryl, god, yes… fuck, don’t stop… don’t s-stop.”

you continued to repeat those words, falling like a river from your mouth, a mantra that seemed to keep you grounded as daryl’s tongue threatened to send you floating away –

a sound akin to a scream bubbled in your throat when daryl suddenly slipped two of his thick fingers into your cunt; the sensation was far from unpleasant but far too close to overwhelming – and when he began to pump them in time with the flicks of his tongue, and curled them just so on every outward pull, scraping against something at the top of your gummy walls, you simply couldn’t hold it in.

your entire body locked up, muscles freezing as your lips fell open to release mute moans, both hands now swinging down to grip daryl’s hair.

those silent moans you were releasing quickly morphed into loud, wanton, downright sinful vocalizations as daryl pumped his fingers into your cunt, still rubbing that sweet spot, fingerfucking you through your high and bringing stars to your eyes. you pressed daryl’s head impossibly closer to your cunt, humping whatever you could and burying his fingers deeper inside your walls with desperate, short, shaky movements, releasing a litany of his name and curses in between breathy pants and moans.

when the waves of your high had begun to recede, you slowed your hips until they came to a complete stop, your chest heaving from the deep lungfuls of steamy air you pulled in. your body felt incredibly fuzzy, your mind pleasantly foggy; but your body, and everything else, felt too hot, too cramped, too everything, and when daryl decided to give your throbbing, sensitive clit one last tiny flick of his tongue, you damn near smacked him in the head.

if only your arms would move.

a small gasp was pulled from your lips when daryl slipped his fingers from your sloppy cunt, the friction against your sensitive walls almost enough to have your entire body seizing, and it was only when daryl lifted his hands up to grip your wrists were you able to disentangle your fingers from his hair; only with his help, of course.

daryl then grasped the plump flesh of your thigh, the one that was still tossed over his shoulder, and pulled it down slowly, not releasing his hold until your foot was planted firmly on the wet floor of the tub.

when your balance was secured daryl scuttled back from between your legs, and when he’d rose to a standing position, his chest now centimeters from your own (which you distantly realized was bare) you couldn’t help but stumble backwards until your back hit the cold wall. your lids felt incredibly heavy, and exhaustion gnawed insistently at your muscles; but through the fog, you were able to register daryl, who was indeed fully clothed, the fabric of his shirt and jeans soaked and clinging to his body like a second skin – and you were certain that was a smirk on his lips.

a smirk that said he knew he had just blown your mind, even if you would never admit it to him.

it seemed as though your orgasm had sobered you up a bit, because when daryl sidled up to you, right beneath the harsh spray, and placed his large hands on your naked hips, you were able to lift your hands and plant them on his chest. he didn’t attempt to move closer to you, but his hands didn’t fall from your hips either; and when he spoke, his voice was chock-full of cockiness that you found simultaneously alluring and irritating.

“if ya ever want yer mind blown again, ya know where to find me.”

with that, daryl slipped his hands from your hips and turned, ripped open the shower curtain with little effort and then stepped out, as if he hadn’t just performed an intimate act on you. water dripped noisily against the linoleum floor as he stalked away, and, not one to give up the chance at having the last word, you croaked out,

“in your dreams, dixon.”

the only thing you got in reply was a haughty chuckle, echoing into the bathroom from somewhere within the quarters you’d claimed for the night.

[daycourtofficial]

I got cursed like Eve got bitten - part XVIII

Pairing: Azriel x Rhysand's sister!reader | WC: 4.6k | Warnings: depictions of violence, broken bones, vulgar language

Summary: reports of a rare powered fae popping up in Illyria send Azriel and Rhysand on a journey through the past, unraveling a truth they thought long buried

Previous part | Masterlist

The flight back to your village was long and cold. Cassian kept you cradled in his arms, pretending not to hear you cry. 

You appreciated it.

The flight was silent between you two as you tried to navigate the memories of the past few weeks with the new knowledge you had, trying to decipher where they liked you for you versus when they liked who you were.

It was all a mess. You wanted answers, but you also left the three people with the majority of them. You rubbed your eyes before looking up at Cassian, his stubbled jawline very well suited for his ruggedly handsome face.

“Did you know?”

Your voice cracked unintentionally, and you cringed at the sound but didn’t apologize.

“We all knew.”

You put your face in your hands, rubbing at the stinging in your eyes. Cassian’s large hand cradled your head, his thumb moving in a soothing motion. His wings flapped against the wind, causing him to speak louder.

“Feyre knew, but she didn’t know you before.”

You figured as much. Feyre was much younger than you - the rumors said she wasn’t even half a century old when she saved Prythian. 

You felt so foolish with every passing minute.

“But you did?”

He nodded, the bun on the back of his head bobbing slightly with the motion. You were furious with the others, and you should have been furious with Cassian, but it was harder with him. You weren’t sure why - probably because you’ve only known him for three hours and he didn’t weave lies about spending time with you.

“When we met earlier, you made it sound like you knew me before.”

The breath he let out with his laugh looked like smoke as it trailed behind the two of you. “Yeah, I knew you then.”

“What was I like?”

“A nightmare.”

You laughed, his response not the one you expected. There was something about him that felt so familiar. He was warm and inviting, but something scratched at your mind like you knew him.

“Az and Rhys have both said you’re just like you were then.”

Your surprise must have shown across your face as Cassian smiled. “Am I really?”

“Are you still hustling unsuspecting males?” Your silence was confirmation enough for the General, shaking his head at your past self’s antics.

“I don’t know much about current you, but I didn’t have any siblings of my own before Rhys and Az. I always wanted a little sister. Someone to defend, someone to be close to.” The cold did little to stop the heat that was radiating off of him. “I regretted all of that because of you. You were so annoying, I was certain you lived to make my life worse.”

He laughed, a joy spreading through his chest that put a small dent in the anger you felt. “Once you were so mad at me, you cut out tiny holes in the tips of all of my socks so over the course of a few weeks the holes grew and all of my socks were unusable.”

You tipped your head back, laughing at the absurdity. “Did Azriel find me annoying?”

He rolled his eyes. “No, you were always nice to him. We hardly saw you when you were a kid - we were both worked to the bone. I think I saw you more than Azriel did, though. I think he only met you three times before you were forty.”

He continued, a softer look on his face, his voice growing quiet like he was sharing a secret. “Rhys’s dad had him in his employ. Azriel hardly talks about that time in his life - Rhys and I were lucky to see him once a year on Solstice. Otherwise we only saw him once a decade.”

He blew out a breath, expelling his frustrations, letting his voice rise again. “Once, you had to be nine or ten, you begged me to go flying with you because you weren’t allowed to fly on your own. I had just gotten in and was only going to be there for twelve hours, but after your pleading, I went with you and told you we’d only fly for five minutes.” You watched his eyes form a sort of haze from the memories he was playing. “Well, at the four and a half minute mark, you grabbed my foot, unlaced my boot, pulled it off, and said, “if you want it back you’ll have to catch me!”

You both laughed, imagining a fully grown leader of the Illyrian army being bested by a small child. “It took me an hour to catch up to you. I wanted to throttle you. I was so mad. I was so exhausted. I really considered killing you.” 

Your laughing died down, the air growing quiet around the two of you. “You had worn yourself out flying so you asked me to fly you back.”

The two of you were coasting now, the snow covered lands below looking so small beneath you both. “You’ve been a thorn in my side for centuries.”

“I’m sure I found you annoying, too.”

He huffed, the air warming your face for a moment. “As if. I’m a delight.”

“Is that why you were hidden from me this whole time? Because you’re so delightful?”

The words slipped out. You had meant them in jest, but it had been nagging at you as to why Cassian was hidden from you. Did he think you should know? Had he done something to you before you died? His smile fell, a seriousness overcoming his face you hadn’t seen before. “Do you really want to get into this?”

You nodded. You had to know everything before getting back to Illyria. You wanted to know all of it so you could decide how to move forward. To move on you had to look back.

“When we thought you had died, it was awful. I mean… we weren’t the same for a long time. Hardly saw Azriel. I had gotten so used to seeing him again during your mateship, I forgot what it was like to have him be gone so much. Whenever I did see Rhys, he would be buried in papers and trade agreements and whatever thing he could lose himself in.”

The air around you both grew serious, Cassian’s easygoing smile setting into a more stoic frown. “Azriel and Rhys could hardly stand each other for a long time.”

You could feel the pain swirling in Cassian’s chest: grief, sadness, anger. It all swirled inside of him, threatening to consume him whole.

“Losing your sister was hard on us, just like losing your mom. But with you it felt… different. There were four of us for a long time, and then it became three of us.” You watched as your village got closer, still angry, nowhere near a conclusion.

“I know you’re mad, but nobody has ever seen anything like this before.” He landed, his feet hitting the ground harsher than Azriel had. The memory sent a pang through your chest as Cassian lowered you to the ground.

“Just.. here.” He searched his pant pockets before procuring a slip of parchment and a pencil. You looked up at him, confused. “It’s enchanted. We all have it in case we need help or need to let Rhys know something immediately. If you need one of us, or want to talk to anyone, just write it on the paper with that pencil, and once you finish the message, it’ll disappear to Rhys.”

You nodded, and the massive Illyrian before you looked almost like a sad puppy, his big hazel eyes giving away all of the emotions laying in his chest. 

“I know you must hate us, but we weren’t.. We didn’t know what was blocking your memories. Still don’t, I guess.” He rubbed the back of his head, causing the bun to come loose and shoulder length wavy hair to come tumbling out. “We were worried if you knew everything at once it would be rough. We wanted to make sure it was you at first, but as time went on, it got harder to tell you.”

“But I should have known.”

He sighed again, looking into your eyes, not wavering contact. “You never should have been in this situation in the first place.”

You turned to look at your tavern, the darkness inside feeling like an endless pit, so different from the darkness of the shadows that swirled around Azriel. Your stomach dropped thinking of him.

He was your mate.

The two of you were destined to be together by some entity higher than either of you.

“Do you think-” you stopped, trying to figure out how to ask what you want. “Do you think Azriel would still want me as his mate?” Cassian’s eyebrows shot up, and you quickly began trying to explain yourself. “I’m not- I’m mad, I’m angry. But I don’t want to come to terms with this and find out he doesn’t want me.”

“He will.”

You inspected Cassian’s face, looking for any sign of half-truth or falsehoods. Finding none, you asked what you really wanted to know.

“What if I never got my memories back?”

Cassian shrugged. There was an air of nonchalance about him that both felt calming and annoying. You definitely understood why Cassian said you loved tormenting him.

“You’ll make new memories.”

You turned, not offering a goodbye. You knew he would watch as you entered the tavern, the snow crunching beneath your heels, and when you shut the door behind you, you heard the beat of his wings taking off from the ground, pushing him into the skies.

You walked into the tavern, a swarm of emotions in your chest. For every answer you got, it seemed you made three new questions. Now you knew who you were - a name to the face you’ve been seeing in the mirror for centuries. Somehow when you entered this village over a century ago it was the only thing you knew. Something came back to you, a flicker of a moment. 

Hurt to breathe. Vomiting water. Females soothing your back. Your back screaming in pain at their touch.

You kept repeating your name over and over, like a prayer. 

You always thought your name was given to you by one of the females, someone giving you the first name they thought of - the name of a relative, perhaps. 

But you named yourself.

You sighed, pulling a chair off of a table before setting it on the ground. In your absence, someone had come in and stolen some of your wine, but they left several bottles for you to pick up and bring to the table you were sitting at.

You had so many thoughts running through you, you weren’t sure where to start. Do you start with the betrayal you felt at finally making friends only to realize they only liked you because they knew you before? The mate thing? Where to go from here?

Or do you fixate on what happened to you - assumingly you lost your wings the night you were thought to have died.

You took a swig from a bottle, the alcohol giving you something to enjoy as you decluttered  your mind.

Did it have something to do with the water? In your memory, you were spitting up water. Had you been drowned?

Your thoughts whirled and swirled, so deeply interwoven they were practically nonsensical. The flight here was long enough to dull your anger into confusion, needing time to just sort your thoughts out away from them. You sighed, getting up and grabbing parchment and a quill, about to start trying to piece together the things you knew when the door opened.

Shit. Forgot to lock it behind me.

“We’re closed,” you yelled, not even looking up, starting to scratch down some of the things you knew. You started with “Rhysand’s sister” in big letters before making a bulleted list including ‘Azriel’s mate’ below it. After a few minutes of scrawling, you looked up, completely having forgotten that someone came in.

The male before you caught you off guard, his long blonde hair radiant in the darkness.

“I hope you had a fine evening, Princess.”

Keir’s voice made your insides want to melt from disgust. You didn’t want to be under his scrutiny, his gaze lingering on your face making you feel ill. You weren’t sure why he was here, but his presence made you so uneasy. Just hours ago this male turned your world upside down, and now he wishes to speak to you? 

You went with  a more cordial approach. “Hello. Your court is beautiful.”

“No it isn’t.”

His honesty nearly gave you whiplash, his voice laced with disgust and annoyance. His presence made you so uneasy, filling you with dread as he stepped closer to you, his scent of snow and fresh soil filling your lungs.

“You have now seen how awful and terrible the place that Rhysand keeps us in is. We are kept in a pen, as if nothing more than cattle.” You shook your head, not knowing enough about the Court of Nightmares to argue. “Your father sat on that throne that your brother does now, having done nothing to help my people.”

You moved from behind the table, your movements slow and deliberate. If you sidestepped around him, you might be able to get to the door behind him. 

“I have found your family to be… ill-fitting for the throne.”

You nodded, pretending to agree so maybe he’d let you by, not letting your eyes stray from his.

“Millenia of terrible ruling all because the magic finds your spoiled brother to be a better fit than I.”

You turned, rushing for the door, knowing if you yelled loud enough Cassian might be able to hear you. Something wrapped around your hair, yanking you back from the door. You screamed as it ripped out your hair, your body colliding with Keir’s front.

“Not so fast, bitch.”

You clawed at his arms, your nails shredding his skin as your scalp burned from the hold he had on your hair. You were gasping, struggling to get out of his hold, but he was unrelenting. Your feet slid on the floor as you tried to gain stable footing, slowing down your clawing to get your feet planted on the floor. You pulled your head slightly forward, rearing your head back as hard as possible into Keir’s face. You heard a snapping sound, but couldn’t let yourself turn to look.

You ran for the bar, picking up the paper Cassian had handed you, hand searching through the darkness for the pen he had given you.

Keir’s hand grabbed the back of your head, pushing it down onto the counter, blood gushing from your nose all over the parchment. Your face was throbbing, your hand flying to cover your nose immediately. Keir took the moment to grab your free arm, wrapping his hand around your wrist, pinning it behind your back. He unsheathed a blade, the sound ringing in your ears as you struggled beneath him, kicking your feet out wildly to disrupt his stance.

“I never should have trusted those half-wit Spring heirs to complete a job. They couldn’t even kill a privileged brat like you.”

He brought the blade around, holding it close to your head.

“You got lucky once - those fools couldn’t complete the job. They let you loose somehow.” You could feel him shake his head, annoyance flaring in his chest. “You could give them all the answers they needed, provide maps, intel, anything they wanted but they’d be too dumb to strike.”

You couldn’t stop staring into the blade, your violet eyes looking back at you. 

“No matter. I am more than capable of finishing a kill.”

You looked at the same blade, your eyes full of fear as you saw the blood dripping from the metal. 

Your throat was raw from when the blade had slashed through your wings, slicing through the bone in shoddy work. You could barely hold yourself upright - you kept falling forward, the weight of your wings not balancing you.

You felt so dizzy, your back screaming in pain at the open wounds trying to stitch themselves back together. 

“Stay put,” the brown haired male had growled at you before stalking off, but not before he pushed you into the grass, your new stumps shrieking in pain at the contact with the ground. Your limbs screamed in agony, desperate for some aid, only able to flip yourself to relieve the pain from your back. Your face was in the dirt, inhaling the loose soil as you tried to gather enough strength to take in where you were. It was so hard to see through the tears lining your eyes, but you were able to make out the still lifeforms of your sister and mother, the bandits currently cutting off parts of their bodies. Bile rose in your throat as you vomited into the grass, your head resting in it as you tried to think.

You looked to the right, hearing the roar of the river in your ears, drowning out the raucous laughter of your attackers. The water was close, your limbs aching as you dug your fingers into the soil, pulling yourself closer to the edge. 

You had one shot of freedom. Either they killed you or the river did.

You’d take the river.

You rolled your body over the edge, the fall not taking long before you hit the water, the cold seeping into your bones. You went under the water momentarily, no energy to try to get yourself above water.

You were at the mercy of the river. 

You had hoped the rush of the water was enough to keep them from knowing where you went.

That was the last thought you had before the blood loss caught up to you, the adrenaline leaving your system as you fell into the throes of unconsciousness.

You took a deep breath as if you were just emerging from that river again.

That male was in Velaris. The one who told you to stay put. He was who you had seen that day out in town with Azriel. He was one of Keir’s guards, he had to be.

“You.”

It was all you could get out, your mind was whirring with the new memories coming to the forefront of your mind. Flying with Rhysand, pushing Cassian into the Sidra one Solstice, teaching your baby sister how to dance.

Your mother. Your beautiful mother and baby sister.

Azriel.

You felt that gold bond come back to life in your chest, the tiny remnants of thread having restitched itself back to life over the past century. 

You had died in that river, if only for a moment, the bond dying with you.

Except for one tiny thread that you’ve been nurturing for the past century and a half.

Azriel.

You gave the bond a sharp tug, pulling hard on the bond, tugging and tugging the never ending rope trying to get it back to you, as if you could physically drag Azriel to you. You were struggling beneath the weight of Keir, putting all of your weight into dragging Azriel here.

Tears sprung to your eyes at the tug you felt back.

You pushed your right foot out, swiping his knee, causing him to crumple just enough for you to move out from beneath him, out of his grasp.

Keir lunged toward you, the dagger in his hand nearly swiping your stomach. You reached to the side, grabbing bottles of liquor and wine, blindly throwing them at the male.

“You bitch.” He spat at you as your second bottle made contact, shattering at his feet and causing him to trip. 

“You little bitch, I am going to end this. I’m going to kill you and then I’m going to gut that false prophet that sits on the throne.”

He lunged, his dagger nicking you in the arm. You hissed at the contact, scrambling away from the bar once you ran out of bottles. You threw chairs at him, all of which he just waved away with his hands. You shoved a table toward him, trying to pin him against the bar as you turned and ran to the door. He pulled the rug out beneath you, your head slamming into the floor, a harsh crunch coming from you as your jaw slammed into your skull, causing you to see stars. 

Your hand reached up to assess the blood from your nose making it difficult to assess if your mouth was bleeding. Keir stepped onto your back, pressing all of his weight in to keep you in place.

“Now, killing you will be an honor. I will enjoy thinking back on this moment when I sit on my throne.”

You heard the dagger slicing through the air, your hands scrambling beneath you to move you up. Your nails clawed at the rug, desperate for any way to get up. Suddenly you felt Keir’s weight disappear from your back, and you turned fast enough to see a black shadowy mass pinning Keir beneath it.

“That’s my mate.”

Azriel picked up Keir’s head before slamming it into the stone floor, his blood splattering everywhere. Your head was spinning, trying to keep upright from the blood loss and how fast your thoughts were moving. Blips of a life flashed behind your eyes, centuries of life trying to crowd your brain.

You laid still, evening out your breathing. Azriel would take care of it. He would take care of you. 

Your throat closed up a bit thinking about him. 

Your mate. He was your mate. That golden thread weaved its way through the tapestry of your lives, tying the two of you together. 

He was here. 

If Azriel died, you weren’t sure how you’d go on. 

You watched him, his wings spread out wide in a display of dominance, his shadows wrapped around Keir holding him down.

How did he carry on without you? Did he know that you were still alive, a tiny thread of the bond humming in his chest, just enough to tell him to keep going?

You were woozy, opting to lay on the rug to try to keep the room from spinning so much when you felt Azriel sitting near your head, gently lifting your own head to place in his lap.

“How did you get here so quickly?” Your words had a slight slur to them, trying very hard to get them out. You didn’t even have the wherewithal to ask what happened to Keir.

“I traveled through my shadows.”

“What?”

Your memories were still hazy, not everything coming back at once. You had the big things: being Azriel’s mate, Rhysand’s sister, the biggest pain in Cassian’s ass.

“Why didn’t you tell me you can do that?”

He shrugged, “you never asked.”

You tipped your head back laughing, “what a delightfully strange mate I have.”

His eyes practically glowed with little hearts, his voice soft as he asked, “will you say it again?”

You propped yourself up on your elbows, hands wrapping around his leathers to balance yourself as you sat up and leaned in close, your breaths mingling as you whispered, “my mate.”

He crashed his lips into yours, uncaring of the blood on your face as he cradled your cheeks in his hands. It hurt your jaw, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care. Your lips moved in sync, and you pushed your body into him, crawling further into his lap.You weren’t sure where the tears started and the blood ended, but the kiss was full of a century of waiting and grieving.

He laughed into your mouth and you felt the cool kiss of his shadows roaming around you in excited patterns.

A cough should have startled the two of you, but neither of you paid it any mind until it became louder. Azriel removed a hand from your face, assumingly to flip his middle finger at the intrusion, but you heard a scoff and knew instantly who it was. You pulled away from Azriel, a trail of spit following you as you turned to look at your brother, standing in the doorway, trying to look annoyed.

“I had hoped you would forget this part of your mateship.”

You laughed as Azriel gripped his arms around your waist, pulling you into his chest.

“Nesta gave Cassian head at the dinner table and you’re scolding me for making out with my mate after 150 years?”

You giggled as a shadow bonked Rhys in the head, his eyes rolling. You scrambled, trying to remove yourself from Azriel’s grip, but he simply held on longer.

“Az.”

“Okay, fine. You get five minutes.”

You ungracefully stood up, running towards Rhys, jumping into his arms as he spun you around. He made a soft oof as your weight collided with him, but he spun the two of you until he slid in the blood on the floor, the two of you falling to the floor.

You were a mess of giggles as you landed next to Azriel, your mate pulling you back into his arms. 

“That wasn’t five minutes.”

“Injury makes the clock run out.”

Azriel laid his chin on the top of your head, your back to his chest, as you watched Rhysand sit up.

“Less than thrilled to know Keir had some hand in all of this. And that my clothes are now covered in your blood.” He looked down, disdain on his face at his black suit being ruined. “But I am thrilled that with Keir’s death, I can appoint someone new to run the Court of Nightmares.”

You rolled your eyes. “I just came back to life and you already want tosend me back there.”

Rhys gave a pointed look. “Not you. You’d destroy the place in a week.” 

Your eyes changed quickly from amusement to annoyance directed at your brother. “I have a bone to pick with you.”

“You have your memories back for all of five minutes, nearly murdered, and you want to scold me?”

You rolled your eyes, “of course I do. Now I can speak freely because I know you’re my dumb brother. Illyria sucks!”

You punched his arm, causing him to wince at the contact. “Illyria’s awful! The males are garbage, the females do everything, make it better!” Your last words were accented with hitting him on the head.

“But they-”

“You’re in charge! Do something. Or get Feyre to. She seems to be the brain between the two of you.”

Azriel’s hand softly gripped your jaw, turning you to face towards him. “How about you and I spend some time to ourselves while Rhys fixes Illyria?”

You heard Rhys’s grumbling as he stood and walked out of the tavern, making his displeasure known, but it didn’t matter to you. You were wrapped in the arms of your mate, thanking the Mother for that river.

“Come on, Az, at least dip your feet in the river. It’s shallow here.”

Az rolled his eyes, but removed his shoes and socks, rolling up his trouser legs before walking across the river bed to meet you. The water was cold over his feet, a soft gasp from him as he made his way to you.

“I will never understand your obsession with rivers. You can’t feel them, at least I can’t.”

You smiled, “I just like them. They keep going. They get you where you need to be.”

“Maybe if you’re in a canoe, perhaps. But how will you get back to where you came from?”

You shrugged, “you don’t. There’s no way back. Rivers keep going, and we keep going. We’ll just figure out where to go.”

Author’s note: the end 😭😭 I hope you guys liked it 🫶🏻 I really enjoyed this series and I hope you guys did too!! Thank you to everyone who commented frequently, you guys give me life to keep posting mwah mwah 😘

Permanent taglist: @vanilla-seabass @cyrygher @lees-chaotic-brain @topaz125 @chessebookgirl @fides25 @lady-of-tearshed @ashbatz @fxckmiup @lilah-asteria @justvibbinghere @daughterofthemoons-stuff @mybestfriendmademe @heartless-tate @tsunami-of-tears @idrkwhatthisisimsorry @olive-main @azrielsmate3 @pit-and-the-pen @durgenyx @dee-writes-smut @chairofchaos @thelov3lybookworm @berryzxx @throneofsmut @kennedy-brooke @prythianpages @itsswritten @acotarxreader @milswrites @the-golden-jhope @hannzoaks @secretlyhers @tothestarsandwhateverend @sarawritestories @chxosangxl

Azriel taglist: @brieflyclassymortal @thisiskaylin @magicstrengthandcourage @panther-girl-124 @slytherintaco @userxs-blog @emryb

[icanhearcolors]

I really love the idea of Tav drawing Astarion to show him what he looks like, could you maybe write something about that? ^-^

Hiiiiii! I can indeed thank you for the request :b

Welcome back to another episode of Abby tries to write something short and can't make it less than two thousand words.

EVERYBODY LOOK AT THIS GIF CUZ KJNKBJHGFRRETFO

Sorry I think I got possessed for a second there

Word count: 2.1k

The night sky had never been this gorgeous in the city. In Baldur’s Gate, the upper city was illuminated by mage lights that adorned the cobblestone paths. The light was bright enough that the citizens split into two factions, the night life and the day. Even those without dark vision could operate solely at night in total comfort if they chose to. In the lower city, fires were always burning, sending plumes of rich smelling smoke into the air constantly, obscuring the night sky.

But out here, under the blue light of a full moon, you can see every star and constellation in vivid detail. A soft purr-like snore hums against your back, and you brush a hand over the downy feathers of the owlbear cub you rescued from the goblins. He was getting so big. If he gets half as big as his mother was it is going to become a challenge to travel with him. It’s a sacrifice you’re more than willing to make. Besides, you could always cast the reduction spell on him in a pinch if any problem arose. He sleeps curled around your back, alongside his friend Scratch the dog, whose fluffy white head is resting in your lap.

The campfire crackles a few yards ahead as Wyll adds a few logs, humming a Baldurian tune you recognize but can’t quite recall the name of.

For the first time since the nautiloid crash you feel peaceful. Safe.

You turn your gaze to Astarion’s tent, probably for the thousandth time tonight, and stare at his profile as he flips through the pages of the seemingly sentient necromancy tomb you had discovered a few tendays prior. A faint green light curls from the pages like mist, illuminating half his face and casting the rest in shadow. You’d never really understood the saying “so beautiful it hurts'' until you met Astarion. An unknown emotion compresses your chest in a way that makes it hard to breathe sometimes when you look at him. You think it started out as empathy. Every detail of Astarion’s story he revealed to either warn you about vampires or shock you for his own amusement painted a picture of a horrific life full of trauma and misery that you found hard to reconcile with your enigmatic companion. He was always the first to crack a joke. He laughed loudly and on a constant basis. From an outsider’s view he’d appear almost carefree. Happy even. You wondered now how much of that laughter was real, and how much of it was the armor he’d donned a couple hundred years ago when he breached the surface of his own grave. You recall a conversation you had with him a while back about vanity. In his two hundred and forty years, give or take, he’d only been able to see his reflection for thirty nine. An incredibly young age to die for a high elf, and a small fraction of his life-span. Even if any fuzzy memory remained of that past life, it was no longer accurate anyway. 

He was something different now. 

Your eyes slide to your pack. You had found something yesterday- something rare indeed. A merchant selling art supplies outside of the city. You had everything you needed to give Astarion something you took for granted every day. His reflection.

Slowly, both as to not disturb your sleeping friends and not alert the elf in question to your actions, you slip a hand inside the bag. Your fingers find a pencil easily, the paper next, and you begin to draw. At first you draw him as he is, using his current unmoving form as a model, but you had been quite the artist in your time in Baldur’s gate, and you finished that drawing almost too quickly. So, you draw him again from memory, this time with his head thrown back, face scrunched with laughter. Then you draw his frown, his smirk, the condescending expression he so often gives Gale, the softer one you don’t quite understand that he reserves for you. You don’t hide or downplay his vampiric traits. You draw him exactly as he is, blending colored chalk to capture every shade of red in his eyes. Time falls away as you lose focus on everything but your work. Eventually, some time much later, the cramps in your muscles wake you from your trance. You stretch, and your knees, shoulders, and spine crack loudly. Scratch wakes up, stands, shakes himself off, and trots into the bushes. Your owlbear notices, and trills a soft sound before standing too, following him into the woods. You smile as you watch them amble off, happy they get along so well. You turn back to your drawings and examine them with new eyes. You expected to feel excitement, pride maybe, but instead a cold feeling ties your insides in knots as you realize you can never give these to Astarion. The drawings are some of your best work, but they’re also… reverential. A glimpse of Astarion through your eyes. Anyone who saw them would think you had drawn your lover, not your less-than-trusting involuntary traveling companion. He would take one look and realize exactly what you’ve been hiding from him since- well since you met him. You were infatuated with the vampire, and somehow, miraculously, despite the fact that you’d slept with him once already,  he seemed to be unaware.

He was going to find out.

You eye the campfire, half tempted to toss the whole pad of paper into it.

In your panic you turn your gaze toward Astarion’s tent.

He’s not there. 

His tent is open, and no one is inside it. You can see that from here. 

Somehow- maybe it’s the tadpole, or maybe it’s because you’ve spent so much time with the rogue, you realize you know exactly where he is.

Slowly, as if to avoid instigating an attack from a stalking predator, you turn your head to find Astarion standing behind you, peering over your shoulder.

Even though you were expecting it, you still startle out of your skin. Astarion drops to his knees on the ground in front of you and claps his hand over your mouth just in time to muffle your screech. You both look at eachother with wide eyes before turning slowly and in unison towards a sleeping Lae’zel. She’s frowning in her sleep, which isn’t unusual for her. She twitches, and then rolls over to her other side, sound asleep. You sigh in relief, through your nose because your mouth is still covered by Astarion’s hand. You swat it away and throw him a withering glare.

“What the in the hells is wrong with you?” You whisper-shout.

Astarion presses his lips together and turns his head away from you for a moment, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

“Oh yeah, laugh it up. If she’d woken up we’d be dead right now.”

“Look it’s not my fault you weren’t paying attention. You haven’t moved in almost four hours, I wanted to know what you could possibly be writing.”

You clutch the drawing pad to your chest and swallow nervously, eyes darting around for any glimpse of something you can use to distract him.

Unfortunately as you’ve come to realize, regardless of what they used to be, once turned vampires become lethal predators. Astarion sees your darting eyes, catches the scent of your fear, and you see the shift in his demeanor. 

His movements become slower, more fluid, as he tilts his head in malicious curiosity.

He reminds you sometimes of the big cats that roam the mountains of Faerûn. Once something captures his attention, there’s little use in trying to pull him off the hunt.

Still, you’re going to try.

“I’m not writing.”

His eyes flick to your hands, dusted in red powder, then back up. He hums.

“Drawing then. What have you been drawing Tav?” 

His voice is darker now. Persuasive. 

“It’s- uh… personal.”

Astarion lowers himself fully to the ground and stretches his legs out in front of him, leaning back on his arms. 

“A personal drawing?” He purrs, “Well now I have to see it.”

“No-” You cover your face with your hand, “That’s not what I meant and you know that Astarion.”

A moment of silence passes, so you lift your hand away from your face.

Astarion is gazing at you with that unknown expression again. His eyes look earnest, a soft smile on his lips, when he speaks the words that are your undoing.

“You can trust me, Tav. I already know how talented you are, you don’t have anything to worry about. Just show me.”

You sigh, and his smile grows. He knows he’s won.

Bastard.

“Fine you can see my drawings, but I need to tell you-”

The drawing pad is already out of your hands, your permission apparently all that was keeping Astarion from snatching it away from you.

Your heart stops at his first look at the paper. He stills, flipping through the drawings slowly, his eyes tracing every detail with excruciating slowness.

Finally, he puts you out of your misery.

“I-” He clears his throat, not meeting your eyes. “These are...”

He grips the paper tightly when you attempt to take the drawing pad back from him. You’re confused, and a little… well actually very hurt for a reason beyond your understanding.

Does he hate it? Did you overstep?

“What are you thinking?”

Astarion finally looks at you, his expression guarded. He points to the drawings.

“Who is this?”

Oh.

You’re shocked silent. You should have anticipated this. Of course Astarion wouldn’t recognize himself in your drawings. That was the entire reason you drew him in the first place.

“He’s um-” You fall silent again.

Astarion looks both terrified and heartbreakingly hopeful. You’re sure he already knows the answer. You’ve spoken to him at length about what he is. You know that he knows he’s the only vampire spawn you’ve ever met, and you’ve been traveling together without much separation ever since.

He still needs to hear you say it.

You stare at your wringing hands in your lap and take a deep breath.

“I remembered that conversation we had about how you don’t know what you look like, you just have to go off of what other people tell you, and I bought these art supplies earlier and I haven’t drawn in so long, I used to all the time but with everything that’s going on- and I meant to just draw you once but I wanted you to know what you looked like when you smiled too and then I got a little carried away I’m so-”

You don’t hear him move. Your rambling speech stutters to a stop at the sensation of a hand on your cheek. Astarion hooks his thumb under your chin and lifts your head just enough to press his lips to yours.

Your eyes widen in surprise and then flutter closed. All thoughts cease, replaced by a languid warmth that melts you into a puddle on the ground.

You tilt your head and kiss him back, a tingling sensation racing down your spine. His hand slides from your cheek into your hair, and he gently pulls your head back, deepening the kiss in a way that steals the air from your lungs.

All too soon he pulls back, just a few inches, and smiles.

A real, genuine smile that shows his teeth and lights his eyes. You think you would do terrible terrible things to see that smile more often.

He brings his other hand up to frame your face, holding you in place as if he’s afraid you’ll pull away.

“Thank you.” He says simply, his voice hoarse.

“This is a gift. I won’t forget it.”

He repeats the words he said to you what feels like centuries ago, the night you found out he was a vampire and agreed to feed him. 

“You’re welcome.” Is all you can think to say.

With absolutely no warning at all Astarion drops his hands to your shoulders and yanks you toward him just in time. A pillow, rather violent in its velocity, grazes the back of your head in its catapult into the forest. Somewhere in the dark woods, Scratch yelps.

“Next time it will be my sword Isticks”

Growls Lae’zel from her bed roll on the other side of the campfire.

You turn back to Astarion with an amused but also terrified expression, and he smiles knowingly, rolling his eyes.

He picks the drawings up off the ground from where they’d been scattered at some point and gathers them in one hand. He stands, hoisting you up with his free hand, and practically drags you across the camp to his tent.

You’ll have to draw him more often.

[rintoorou]

ALOHA, HAWAII — i. family ties

(wc: 1,055)

more than fifteen minutes had passed since you and the forty-something-year-old you bumped into had been arguing back and forth about how to settle things. while you sincerely apologized and expressed your willingness to pay for compensation earlier on, you certainly weren’t going to let some old man in a cheap suit take more than what was needed from you.

“does that look like a simple scratch to you, officer? i need—”

“it does, sir.”

“—around a hundred thousand yen to have this fixed!”

an annoyed scoff slips past your lips, and the older man turns redder at your outburst. frankly, you don’t care. “that’s almost three times more than what’s enough,” you glare at him, “half of that is a completely new paint job. i’m not stupid.” 

he raises a brow, “no, you’re just a kid.”

“this kid knows her shit. i’m not paying you that much.”

the man standing a few feet away dissolves into another fit (tantrum), causing you to roll your eyes. i’m seriously going to spear this umbrella at him if he doesn’t stop. 

just as your grip on the umbrella tightens, a sleek black vehicle stops beside your car. you tilt your head in confusion as one of the tinted windows rolls down, revealing a mop of bright orange hair you were quite familiar with, "hinata?"

he says your name back with a huge grin, and another man, whom you recognize to be another one of msby's star players from pictures, pops out from behind him. you and hinata became acquainted a while back after kenma invited the both of you to play a game with him on stream, but you don't recall ever meeting the second one once. he waves at you with excitement, but you remain standing, clueless. 

"oh? is that your car?" hinata’s eyes widen in shock as he points to the scene in front of him. you nod, nervously tugging your bottom lip in between your teeth. you feel a little bit embarrassed that kenma's-friend-slash-pro-volleyball-player had caught you in such a state. he asks you something but the sound of the rain drowns it out, "i can't understand what you're saying!"

their car then carefully maneuvers behind yours, just beside the sidewalk. you head over to their side almost immediately, ignoring the protests of the old man behind you. "are you also going to the fundraiser? i heard kenma's there," hinata quips, leaning forward, and you step closer so the umbrella covers the both of you. "yes, i am. i’m just dealing with,” you gesture to the mess in front of them, “this." 

"what? but then you’d be more late than we already are. how about you ride with us?" he gives you another toothy grin and you almost feel bad for wanting to refuse. before you could politely turn the offer down, hinata is pulled back by his teammate, "we have room for one more!"

“oh, um…” you glance back and forth between them and the now-angrier man next to the traffic officer, “thanks for the offer, guys, but i drove alone. i have to get this settled. you can go ahead.” you give them a tight-lipped smile before walking back, starting to wish you had brought a driver instead. 

“(—).”

the call of your name makes you halt in your footsteps. slowly, you turn around and almost flinch at the set of dark deadpanned eyes staring at you.  

“kiyoomi.” 

"who bumped into who? you or the geezer?"

his straightforwardness has you slightly taken aback, "i did. i didn’t press on the breaks hard enough and bumped into him, but it’s just a little scratch…” you trail off near the end of your sentence, watching as he wordlessly exits the vehicle. he takes your umbrella from you, but not before telling you to get inside the car. 

hinata and his grey-haired friend scootch over to accommodate you, but the three of your gazes trail after kiyoomi until he reaches the traffic enforcer and the stranger you bumped into.

"how do you know omi, (—)?” hinata asks, leaning back in his seat. you keep your eyes trained on his teammate, “we’re cousins, but we’re not that close.”

“oh, that’s why you have the same family name! i get it now,” you finally tear away from the scene in front of you and watch as hinata taps his chin, thinking. you know you’ve got another question coming, “so you’re attending the wedding then?”

shit, what are you supposed to say? you haven’t come up with an excuse yet and you’re here with the friends of the groom himself. you wince on the inside; you’re starting to think continuing your argument with the old man was the better option.

thankfully, the male beside him doesn’t give you a chance to reply, “of course, hinata! they said all family and friends are invited.” never mind.

you don’t bother to think of correcting him as the door to the passenger’s seat opens, kiyoomi settling in immediately afterwards. the grey-haired one, bokuto (you remember now), eagerly questions him about what he did after he left the car not more than five minutes ago.

“just settled an agreement. a driver will come to pick your car up, (—),” you don’t know what to say yet, but he was as curt as you remember. the last time you saw him was at a family dinner, celebrating his high school graduation, but all you really told him was “congratulations” and “where are you going for college?” you think this is the first time he initiated an interaction with you. 

a beat of silence had passed, and instead of protesting, you say, “thanks, kiyoomi.” 

you hear him hum in acknowledgment before giving a 'go' sign to the driver. the car starts moving forward and the pair beside you quickly engages in another topic, entering their own little world.

a phone rings from the front and you realize it’s your cousin’s. his greeting tells you it’s a call from his sister, followed by the words: plan and wedding. you still in your seat, opting to stare outside the window and busy yourself with the rain droplets racing towards the bottom. you feel thankful that kiyoomi saved you, but you’re praying he doesn’t bring up the wedding.

intro — masterlist — next

notes wasn’t initially planning to start with a written chapter, but i wanted to show this side of sakusa and reader! i love writing family tropes so i’m gonna touch a bit on how their relationship progresses too throughout the au

tags @ilyless @strxwberri-s @bbybibi @milesmoralesluvs @hanniemylovelyquokka @nbcvs @crispchocolates @atlasnessie @cnnmairoll @trash-master-3000 @tojirin @ryuverse @megumiif @chemiru @theycallmenanamisgirl @neoclb @krissiekris @nyxlai @tsukiran @frvppe @kr1nqu @kunihaver @toges-cough-syrup @myromanempiree @baskin-robinhoods @jeongintwt

[fadingdaggerr]

omfggg I just finished reading truth be told and it was so amazing and good and wonderful and wow wow wow you're so talented!!! can you please please consider writing a part 2 where r and Mel slowly start dating and Mel starts bringing them back around her family and introducing them to the Abbott crew and everyone is like 👀👀 and then Mel asks them to marry her and everyone is Mel's family is like FINALLY.

truth be lived

pairing: melissa schemmenti x gn!reader

summary: part two of truth be told, based on request above | 9.6k

includes: useless lesbian disease, fluff, more fluff bc the last part didn't have enough

warnings: they/them pronouns used for r, slight insecurity, kissing/making out

translation: peluche (italian - teddy bear)

italics are flashbacks

note: god this took me so long i’m sorry. my brain is an evil being. but N E ways how shocked are we that this is way fucking longer than part one? we aren’t? that’s what i thought. swear my dumbass can't make it easy on myself, but i just really wanted to grow the relationship and not just throw it out there yk?? excuses excuses, i know

It’s almost worse than when Barbara made her go a month without caffeine. Scratch that. It’s fifty times worse. It’s been a week that Melissa has gone without getting to see you. The week that will finally come to a close once the clock strikes seven and you show up at her door.

Saturdays, as of late, the two of you spent nearly three hours in a coffee shop, talking endlessly until your macchiatos went cold. Catching up on over a decade apart was slowly patching the dam that gave out all those years ago. A month of this gravitated to getting lunch together during the week, sitting together on a bench in the halfway point between your jobs. A couple more weeks, and you started going to the bar on Fridays to get your whiskey sours to celebrate the end of a hard week.

It was over stealing a cherry from your drink that Melissa got brave enough to ask you what had been on her mind since she saw you again. She knew it had to be her move, after all that had happened before.

“Next Friday night, you busy?” Melissa asks as she picks the stem off.

Your tongue ghosts over your lips, “not at all. And for you, I’m always free.”

“Would you wanna go out? With me?” An exhale rattles her chest, “Like a- like a date?”

Scanning her face, all you can see is sincerity in her question, and not a touch of restraint. The corners of your lips fly up, creases around your eyes deepening as you take in the sight of a nervous, but hopeful, Melissa. What you wouldn’t give to cradle those flushed, pink cheeks and kiss her right now.

“I would love to go on a date with you,” you answer, “name the time and place, and I’m there.”

A grin that’s equally dorky as yours appears on Melissa's face, her smile prevalent in her voice, “you worry about nothing. I’ll pick you up.”

Green eyes flick from the Tucci mug in front of her to the clock over the door. Only eleven hours and forty minutes, not that she’s counting. A sigh passes her lips at her own desperation. She went nearly a decade without you, half a week shouldn’t be this hard. By God, though, it is.

By lunch, it feels like another week passed her by. A sense of freedom fills Melissa, finally able to dig her phone out of the bottom drawer of her desk where she previously jailed it, too tempted to check for texts from you or send her own. For added proof of her restraint, she doesn’t allow herself to look at the screen until she sits at the table next to Barb.

The moment leather pants meet the hard plastic chair, her phone is ripped from her pocket, glasses perched on her nose. Glossy lips stretch into a smile immediately.

Peluche: any idea how to make 6.5 hours into 0?

Peluche: asking for a friend

Tell your ‘friend’ if I knew, I would have done it.

The little smirk on her face does not go unnoticed by the others in the room, though none are brave enough to ask about it. Jacob eyes his roommate from across the room. He’s seen the weight on her shoulders fly off within the last few weeks, the oven door hasn’t slammed once, she didn’t even make fun of his new kombucha. Early excuses to retire to her bedroom were becoming more frequent, and after a very brave snooping session, Jacob heard tiny bits of a phone call. Breathy giggles coming from his roommate made him step away, an act to save not only his room, but also his life.

The little grin that would appear on her face, before she scurried upstairs, was the same one that she wears at this very moment. It takes the willpower of a thousand Ava’s in a hookah bar to not jump up and down at the thought that Melissa may be seeing someone again, someone clearly better for her. With all of his self-control, held together with sheer desperation, he glances at Barbara. God’s number one soldier is smiling to herself, giving a little nod as she feels his gaze on her. Confirmation.

There’s a certain pep in her step the rest of the day. Not one eye roll as Janine breathlessly recounted her walk back from the deli, no pinching the bridge of her nose when a student asked a question she’d answered seven times already today, not even one occurrence of biting her tongue to save herself an elbow from Barbara. Blissfully happy Melissa is almost more terrifying than angry Melissa, her stiff walk replaced with a certain bounce that didn’t diminish.

“Alright, little eagles, it is go-time! Move it, move it! If you’re not out the door in ten seconds, you’re spending the night with the Abbott ghosts!” The kids all run past Melissa in a flock of giggles as she mentally counts each one, making sure everyone is accounted for before locking up her room. Giddiness grows in her chest, T-minus four hours, and she finds herself just as motivated as the children to run out the doors. Uncharacteristically, she tries to avoid Barbara on her way out, trying to get home as fast as humanly possible, knowing she would be in a frenzied overdrive once she starts getting ready to see you.

“Melissa!” She cringes as she hears her name at the end of the hall, stalling her in her place. Turning on her heel, the redhead faces the floor to hide the pained expression she wears, before looking back up. “Girl, where are you going in such a hurry? You’re moving like the devil is on your heels.”

“The devil couldn’t catch me if he tried,” Melissa snorts, “and I’m just tryna get home, I got plans tonight.”

Barbara raises a brow, “plans, you say? With whom?”

“No one,” she replies, but the sly grin and pink cheeks give her away.

The kindergarten teacher hums, “well, you have fun with no one. I expect a debrief Monday morning, maybe Saturday if you find some free time.” Pink cheeks go as red as Melissa’s hair at the insinuation, only managing a little huff and nod as a response before slinking off to her car.

—☽—

Melissa had given you only one direction for tonight, being that you should dress warm. As much as she knew the limited information would bother you, she hoped you trusted her enough to go along with it, and you did without question, but not without a half-second of hesitation. She could already picture the game of eenie-meenie you would likely play when you went to pick out a sweater or sweatshirt.

And she would be right. With an hour left before Melissa was to arrive, you stood half-naked in front of the closet on your fifth round of the game in trying to choose what to wear. Though every time you reject an option, you’d manage to find a potential reason to go with it, and the cycle keeps going. Deciding to let fate take its chance, you throw an arm over your eyes and blindly swing the other to randomly grab something to wear, at this point you don’t even care if it’s the matching Bluey sweatshirt you share with your nephew.

Fate is on your side it seems, the blind reach procuring a loose fitting, dark grey sweater, one you’d owned over half your life. One that Melissa had stolen many times before, that you had to steal back from her. Without a second thought, you put a longsleeve on before the sweater, just in case it finds a way to pass ownership.

Similarly to last week, you find yourself tense and jittery, waiting on the edge of your seat for the text that tells you that you’ll be able to see her again. Bosco nudges at your hands to be pet, clearly noticing your nerves, attempting to snuggle them away. He’s an expert, your shaky hands stilling as you scratch gently around his neck, dodging his wet nose before it meets your eye. Utterly in the zone petting the spaniel, your phone pinging pulls you from your trance.

pretty girl: Ready when you are.

i’ll be right down, just a sec

pretty girl: Take your time hon.

You, in fact, do not take your time, but what Melissa doesn’t see, she can’t possibly know. Panting at the bottom of the stairs, you take a spare few seconds to catch your breath before walking towards the only car in the lot with its lights on. Leaning against it was Melissa, picking at her nails with pursed lips, a tell-tale sign of her nerves. The closer you get, the more clearly you can see her. Her bright pink hoodie is clearer now, contrasting against a pair of leather pants that almost rip the air from your lungs.

The words leave your lips before you can really stop them, “you’re beautiful.”

Bright eyes look up from the pavement, wide with surprise from your seemingly sudden appearance in front of her. Heat spreads from down her face to her chest at the compliment, feeling every bit of it from head to toe, reveling in the warmth of your attention. It’s been years since you’ve looked at her like this, much less spoken.

“You-” she breathes, “you’re wow.” A second wave hits her when she sees what you’re wearing, that fucking sweater. She’d stolen it more times than she can count, straight from the closet or even directly off of your body, and now it was within arms reach again.

“Should’ve asked first, wearing your sweater and all,” you say lightheartedly, hoping that it will calm the nerves between you both.

“I guess I can let it slide this time,” Melissa chuckles, looking down bashfully. “You ready to get going?”

All you manage is a nod, far too excited to be in her presence to get anymore words out. Ever the gentlewoman, Melissa slides in front of you to open your door, closing it once you’ve slid into your seat. You knew better than to ask where you were going, the redhead already told you three times that she wasn’t spoiling anything for you.

The entirety of the twenty minute drive, it takes a god-like amount of effort to keep from staring at Melissa’s hand on the gear shift. Shimmering rings just beg to be fiddled with, hand asking to be held, but you refrain from crossing the line. The late time keeps the road relatively empty, though Philly streets are never silent, a cacophony of horns and yelling seems to linger regardless of the sun’s presence.

The car pulls into a lot of a building, only a small deli on the first level, the rest appears to be utterly vacant. Slowly, you turn to face Melissa, looking at her with pure confusion and a need for an answer.

She peeks over, sensing your gaze on her. Putting the car in park she simply says, “just trust me.”

“I do,” you reply without hesitation.

It takes very little persuading for you to begin following Melissa, in through the deli where she greeted the man at the front desk. From the little Italian you still remember from being around her family, you pick up something about a door and the two of you being allowed to do something. All the fishing for translation in your mind halts when a hand goes to the small of your back, guiding you to the back of the shop towards the stairs. At the top floor, Melissa reaches around you to put the code into the door, opening the roof access. Three thick blankets stacked on top of one another, with a cooler holding them down, greet you when you turn after watching the redhead prop the door open with a brick.

A sort of wonder takes over, just following her movements as she sits on the blankets, patting the spot next to her. Taking residence next to her, you scoot closer without even an attempt of subtlety. Glossy lips curve into a smile at your action, Melissa immediately trying to hide it by reaching into the orange cooler.

From the cooler, she pulls out a shaker and a bottle of whiskey, peeking at you with a mischievous look in her eye. Without breaking eye contact, she lifts out simple syrup and lemon juice. Simultaneously, both your noses scrunch, leaning into each other slightly as you snicker, feeling juvenile in the excitement of it all. 

Despite taking the time to garnish both your drinks with maraschinos, you pretend to not notice the sly reaches to pull them out of your drink. As far as you’re concerned, she can have whatever she wants if you get to hear that quiet, satisfied giggle.

Reaching into the cooler again, Melissa pulls out a small radio, checking her watch as she fiddles with the dials. After a few moments, you hear what sounds like the opening credits of a movie. Knocking her knee with your own to get your attention, she points to a screen a little ways away, a small drive-in theater that you didn’t even know was in the city. Squinting a little to see the title from the distance, you see that it’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, one of her father’s favorites. The thought alone makes you smile, he’d gotten you both into westerns once you were ‘old enough to appreciate them,’ meaning when you were well into your twenties.

It takes little time for the two of you to end up pressed against each other, everything packed away and forgotten off to the side. The two of you stay quiet as you listen to the movie, both mouthing lines you remember. Your eyes long to look at her, so you look down to grab your drink, shifting your eyes to look at Melissa.

Once you do, all you can do is watch her, her hands, her eyes, her lips, how content she is written on her face. It’s hard to take your eyes off her, it always has been, but right now it feels more difficult than ever. Yellow street lights barely illuminate her, everything you can see is because of the sheer closeness of your bodies. The warmth radiating off of her is grounding, the chill around you nonexistent.

Feeling your attention on her quickly has Melissa turning towards you. She’s met with a nose brushing against hers, both of your eyes widening at the newfound closeness. Neither of you even attempt to move away, completely engrossed in each other’s gaze; the closest you two had been in a decade, here and now.

“Can I-” She doesn’t get a chance to finish her sentence.

“Please.”

Lips rush to press against yours, moving quickly, but so carefully that you can’t help the whine that crawls out of your throat. It takes even less time for your hands to slide up to her face, holding her close as her own hands wander to hold your sides. Needy fingers weave into her hair, tugging lightly at soft copper. Melissa groans into your mouth, tongue swiping against your lips, being met with instant entry and a cross between a sigh and moan.

Any remaining gloss that wasn’t sticking to the plastic cups was spread across your lips, giving you a taste of cherry and lemon, whiskey shared between you. The feeling of her tongue is intoxicating, and all you can manage is to haul her closer, wanting her entirely against you. Catching on, Melissa pushes further into you, leaning you down onto the blankets. The change in position seems to bring a moment of pause to both of you, parting for a moment to catch your breaths.

Slowly, you open your eyes, meeting jade eyes with blown out pupils. Detangling your hands from her hair, you bring them back to hold her face. Stroking your thumb over her cheek, her eyes flutter shut as a deep breath leaves her chest. You gently pass over her cheekbone, following the slope to her lips, kiss-swollen and lovely. Brushing against her lips, you see her eyes open again, watching your attention on her skin. You can practically feel the nerves radiating off of her.

Tugging her down gently, you press a soft kiss to her lips, easy and slow. A silent reassurance that you weren’t going anywhere, that you want this just as much as she does.

The entire drive back to your building, Melissa keeps her hand in yours, enjoying the feeling of your grip tightening around hers every now and then. Uncharacteristically, she drives the speed limit through the streets, wanting to prolong her time with you as much as she can. Pulling into the lot, she lifts your hand to press a kiss to it before hopping out, rounding the car to open your door.

“What a charmer,” you joke, voice bubbly and light from pure adoration for the woman. Humming, Melissa’s fingers tangle with yours as she walks you to the door. Leaning against the cold brick of the building, you pull her in closer, wanting her in your orbit a little longer.

Her thumb glides over your knuckles, “thank you, for tonight.”

“Thank you. Next time, though, I’m planning everything,” an easy smile crosses your face as you fiddle with her rings. You watch a barely suppressed excitement cross her features, feeling your heart swell at the sight.

Subconsciously, you both lean into each other, no words spoken between you. Your eyes flick to her licks, catching her attention. With a barely there touch, Melissa presses a kiss to your lips, lingering as you just barely keen into her. As she pulls away, she forces herself to take a step back, knowing if she stays close that she’ll never leave.

“Can’t wait,” she says, a smile on her lips that never fades when she’s around you.

“Text me when you get home?” You have to keep a hand on the wall behind to keep you in place, too drawn to Melissa for your own good.

She chuckles, taking a step back, “it’s a five minute drive.”

“Just text me, please,” your head drops to the side, looking at her through your lashes.

The only you get is a little nod, reveling in her little smirk as she turns away. Your eyes stay on her, intent on seeing her safely to her car, but she seems to have other ideas. Before she even reaches the fence, Melissa turns on her heel and quickly walks back up to you. Without so much as a warning, she holds your face in her hands and plants one more solid kiss to your lips.

When she pulls away she sees your brows raised and a dumbfounded look on your face, it leaves her with a little spark of pride in her chest. Her thumb passes over your lip before she steps back, slowly walking backwards, “I’ll text you.”

—☽—

The trudging of Jacob coming upstairs shakes Melissa from her last minute indecisiveness about her choice of shirt, registering her open door, throwing the green shirt over her bra-clad form. Quick feet land her in front of her vanity, plopping in the seat to seem busy instead of fretful. Silent prayers that he leaves her alone go unanswered, peeking in as she unscrews the wand of her mascara.

“What’re you up to tonight?” Jacob asks, practically hopping up to her.

She purposely avoids looking at him, “noneya.”

“Oooh, come on Mel-Mel! Spill!”

“Stop calling me that,” she lets out shortly, carefully blinking on mascara. “I’m just going out, that’s all.” Melissa promised herself the second you came back into her life, she wouldn’t refer to you as just a friend. Not until you told her that’s all you want from her, she couldn’t blame you for that choice after all of her own.

You are beginning to run out of things to fill the time until Melissa arrives. The kitchen was wiped down and swept, the living room vacuumed, shit, you even wiped down the blinds. A nagging part of your mind keeps ringing that maybe you should change the blanket over the back of the couch, but the others don’t match the pillows and that will only make your skin crawl more.

A slammed door in the hall makes you startle out of the near catatonic state you’re in, eyes glazed over as they stare unfocused at the coffee table. Your eyes jump to the clock, the little hand getting closer and closer to the seven, only twenty minutes until she’s here. You let out a deep breath before it hits you, only twenty minutes.

Nearly crashing to the floor as your socks glide on the carpet, you rip the top drawer of your dresser open, brain rushing to figure out if the fluffy socks are a bad look or not. Eyes clenching, you sigh at the immaturity of your own thoughts, feeling like a middle schooler trying to get their crush to like them. It’s all frivolous, really. But, God, you want her to like you.

With five minutes left to wait, you find yourself sitting on the couch, staring at the dark TV screen as your leg bounces hard enough to cause a six-point magnitude earthquake.

Unbeknownst to you, Melissa has been sitting in the lot of your building for ten minutes, working up the courage to walk in. If she didn’t get here early, she is sure she would’ve been late walking inside. Melissa stretches out her hand from the tight clenched fists they had been, crescents in her palm from her pink acrylics. She has to reread her text about a million times before sending it.

Just pulled in.

Peluche: i’ll be right down, give me 30 seconds

Creaking of a heavy metal door takes Melissa out of her thoughts where she stands on the steps, turning to see your head just barely popping out of the door. Neither of you can help the little grins that come to your face, both of your attempts to hide them being useless against the other. Wordlessly, you wave her in, and Melissa is quick to obey. It’s quiet as you both climb the stairs, until you arrive at your front door.

The moment you press one number on the keypad, Bosco is barking up a storm on the other side of the door. When the door opens, he is just as quick to start jumping on Melissa, clearly remembering his friend that he hasn’t seen in almost three months.

“Bobo, dude,” you almost whine, trying to tug him away despite his excited hopping, “alright, enough. Bed, now, little freak.”

When you turn back to Melissa, her face is pink from laughter, the lines around her eyes deeper from the smile on her face. Slipping her jacket off her arms, she asks, “is he like that with everyone?”

“No, not everyone,” you answer, stepping forward to grab her jacket from her to hang up, “he’s usually only that excited when I get home or when my neighbor stops by, but he never jumps on him since the man’s like eight thousand years old.”

Melissa tries to ignore the shivers up her spine, “probably just remembers me, or I’m just that special.”

“Two things can be true at once,” you say sincerely, taking the bottle of wine with you as you search for the corkscrew. “I’ve only got stemless glasses, that okay?”

“Blasphemous,” she jokes, leaning against the counter, resting her weight on her elbows.

Lightheartedly, you roll your eyes, pouring her glass first. Melissa’s eyes light up as you swirl the wine in the glass before handing it to her, something she does before she starts any glass. It’s a pointless little thing she has done since Nonna began allowing her a small cup of wine at dinner when she was fifteen, she never thought you would remember something so miniscule.

It takes less than two minutes of sitting on the couch for Melissa to realize that she had made the biggest mistake telling you that she didn’t care what you watched tonight, that you had full reign of choosing. The Conjuring pops up on the screen, the ominous tree makes her groan. Dropping her chin to her shoulder, she stares at you. The pursing of your lips and strict avoidance of her eyes makes the stare turn to a glare.

“You’re fucking kidding,” she says with a facetious anger, “you’re fucking with me.”

Turning slowly, you put on a failing face of innocence, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Bullshit,” Melissa laughs through her words, “you’re trying to get me to walk outta here.”

“No! You said I could pick whatever I want,” you gesture towards the TV.

Melissa heads tilts down, but her eyes stay on you, lips turning up, “you tryna get me all scared like a cliche little movie date? Real sly.”

“So what if I am?” Your expression is playful, but there’s something in your voice that makes Melissa feel warm.

A deep breath leaves her lungs, “if this jump scares me, I’m hitting you with a pillow.”

“Thankfully, I have several,” you mumble, a sated smile on your lips as you press play. 

Two glasses of wine later, you find yourself relaxed into the arm of the couch, while Melissa sits curled into a ball, fully leaned into the back of the couch. For someone so confident and brave, it has always humored you that she was so easily scared of horror films. She nearly suffocated you when she came over one night all those years ago, Candyman left you with the redhead clinging to you like a baby koala.

A pitchy squeak pulls you from the reminiscing you can’t seem to escape, eyes scanning the screen, seeing the exorcism scene, before looking towards Melissa. With her hands over your eyes, you can see her mouth moving, quiet mutters of God dammit and mother fucker leaving glossy lips. It’s impossible to suppress the little chuckle that bubbles in your throat, and squinted green eyes stare you down.

“Shut up,” Melissa mumbles, looking at you rather than back at the movie.

“I didn’t say anything,” you can’t even say it with a straight face, “you’re the one that said I could pick the movie.”

Melissa throws the pillow in her lap at you with a weak arm, “you know I don’t like this scary shit. I’ll never get to sleep tonight.”

“I’ll put Fox and the Hound on after,” you offer. Olive eyes give you an unimpressed look, but the corners of her lips turn up before she gives a little nod in silent thanks.

Her eyes don’t leave you as your attention falls back on the screen, watching as you become fully engrossed in the happenings she refuses to acknowledge. Melissa’s mind churns over your earlier statement, how you might’ve just chosen this for her to get closer to you, and she wishes she could say your not-so-subtle plan wasn’t working. Yet, here she is, thinking that if you were holding her, this would feel like a Pixar film.

Slowly, as if you were the spooked one, she slowly shifts closer. After scanning for discomfort that she doesn’t find, Melissa leans closer, praying you’ll catch on.

“Get over here,” you mumble through a huffed laugh, shifting to rest your back against the arm, putting a leg down on the floor to open up space. Not wasting a second, Melissa lays down on top of you, tucking into you enough that only one eye is able to see the TV, but only if she strains to look up.

It takes zero time for your fingers to find the ends of her hair, the feeling only making Melissa settle in further. Your free hand gets a hold of the remote, turning off the movie before it’s even ended. While you’re looking for the cartoon, Melissa fishes her phone from her back pocket, not bothering to move as she checks her messages.

Jacob: sooo am i leaving the porchlight on or are u coming back in the morning

Put the light on, please.

Jacob: am i allowed to ask questions????

The redhead feels your laugh more than she hears it, peeking up she sees your smirking face. You tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, “you’re right, he’s nosy.”

“Told you. If we were at my place right now, we’d be getting interviewed until next week,” Melissa grumbles. Your only answer is a hum, attention moving to the annoying task of typing out the name of the movie.

You just did.

Your chest rumbles with silent laughter at her response, only holding her tighter when her phone drops on the table and her nose bumps against your neck. The meandering fingers that twirl loose curls around them are a constant distraction for Melissa, the voices of Copper and Tod not even reaching her ears as she settles into a comfort she’s been longing for for years. Nothing will ever quite match the feeling of your lips pressing to her temple.

—☽—

Melissa Schemmenti is picky. Name a topic, she’s got a steadfast opinion on it. The Seahawks? Wanna-be Eagles. Mashed potatoes? Better when a little lumpy. Sleeping? Her bed is the only place she can feel rested. She’d grown all too used to sleeping in her own bed alone, it feels foreign to wake up with someone beside her.Well, her opinion may have changed on that last one.

Curled under a thin blanket, Melissa wakes slowly as the little rays of sun work their way under the curtains. Attempting to stretch her legs, she tries to turn on her back, but is met with resistance. Her movement makes the arm around her tighten, a head nudging into her shoulder blades. Her fingers run up and down the expanse of your arm, quietly asking for you to loosen up. With newfound freedom, she turns to face you, meeting half open eyes and a dopey grin. Tucking yourself into her, you press a lingering kiss to the junction of her neck, mumbling into warm skin.

“What was that, baby?” Melissa rasps out.

“Phone went off,” you grumble a little louder, shuffling closer to her.

Blindly, the redhead reaches around for her phone. Huffing, she forces her eyes open enough to catch face unlock, but they immediately bulge out of her head.

Jacob: hey u coming home tonight?

Jacob: mel mel?

Jacob: barbs said u were fine but can u just answer

Jacob: melissa?

Melissa flies up, your arm dropping limply beside her. A high pitched whine climbs out of your throat as you sit up, leaning against her side with your head on her shoulder. Glancing at her screen, your eyes go as wide as hers.

“If you need to call him, go for it,” you say quietly.

She sighs, “I don’t like lying to him. I’m just…”

“I know,” you reach to hold her hand, “just do whatever feels right for now. We’ll figure everything out later.”

Melissa only gives a nod in response, clearly still in her head. Giving her space, you press a kiss to her shoulder before climbing out of bed. Green eyes follow as you walk out of the room, nearly stumbling into the door as you go. She gives herself another moment to watch you by the coffeemaker before glancing back down at her phone.

Once you’ve taste tested the coffee you made for Melissa, you carefully walk back into your room, trying to not spill a single drop. Glancing up from the mugs, you see that Melissa’s eyes are scrunched, clearly hating the conversation that was happening, but accepting the consequences. Opening one eye and seeing you, she presses a finger to her lips as she puts the call on speaker.

“-ad me worried! You could’ve been dead in a ditch, or worse! I’m happy that you’re happy and having a good time, but you need to be safe! Wait- that sounded weird, I meant physically safe. But that kinda safe too!” Her roommate’s, well warranted, rant continues, leaving you both struggling to breathe from the laughter you try to hide.

Melissa takes a deep breath to compose herself, “Jacob, again, I’m sorry. Wasn’t looking at my phone, but I’ll be better about it.”

“Cross your heart!” The sixth grade teacher was clearly not playing games.

Despite him not being able to see her, Melissa actually draws an X on her chest, “cross my heart.”

Laughing inwardly, you leave Melissa to speak with Jacob as you pad around the room, grabbing your clothes for the day. You feel eyes on you as you move, chest warming under her affection. Peeking over your shoulder as you go down the hall to the bathroom, you send her a wink that makes her grin.

When she finally hangs up with Jacob, Melissa flops back onto the bed, mulling things over in her mind. Telling her friends about you couldn’t be so bad, could it? Starting slow could help, but that means starting at home, and Jacob’s mouth is far too big to keep anything to himself. Telling Barbara will be easy, she already knows about you, just not current events.

She knows that Barbara will love you, that you will love Barbara. Deep down she knows the two of you would be two peas in a pod, and the thought of that alone makes Melissa want to throw caution to the wind. As much as she hates to admit it, acceptance of you from Jacob is something that weighs on her. He’ll probably be obsessed with you, and you don’t even have to say how much you want to meet him, she already knows. It could be so easy.

The spiral in her mind comes to a halt when she hears the bathroom door open. Suddenly feeling full of energy, a giddiness in her bones, she jumps out of bed to find you. Finding you in front of the microwave, reheating your coffee, she wraps her arms around your waist. The light squeeze you receive makes you smile, turning in her grasp to face her, arms encircling her neck.

“Hey, you,” you say, fingers twirling her hair.

“Hey, yourself,” she doesn’t even try to hide the lovesick look on her face, “I’ve got a proposition for ya.”

You snort, “you’re propositioning me?”

“Don’t even,” a hand playfully pinches your side, “it’s a serious question.” The little grin on your face drops, and Melissa can feel your hands freeze where they play with her curls. “Not super serious… just wondering if you’d wanna meet them? Barb, Jacob, maybe the others?

“You want that?” She nods immediately. “Are you sure?” She nods again. “Then, okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay.”

—☽—

How on Earth was she ever nervous about this? Seriously, how?

Janine had invited most of Abbott to her shoebox of an apartment for an end of year party, cleverly inviting Melissa and Barbara over early to get them in a cleaning mood. Everyone else wasn’t supposed to arrive for another half hour, you included. Melissa asked you to come later, hoping that there was less of a chance you’d be grilled if you arrived when the party was more full.

Forty sardines with master’s degrees fill the apartment, and Melissa is still finding little things around the place that need to be dusted and wiped down, but her momentum entirely ends when her phone buzzes in her pocket. Nearly dropping the vase in her hands, she fishes her phone out.

Peluche: i think i’m here

Peluche: the bouncer?? won’t let me in

An amused sigh passes her lips as she swerves through the sea of bodies to get to the front door, seeing Mr. Johnson with his arm barring the door.

“Mr. J, let them in,” Melissa laughs out, patting the man’s shoulder. He turns to look at her with scrutinizing eyes, but lowers his arm to allow space for you.

An arm wraps itself around your waist, immediately pulling you into her space, filling your senses with honey and the distinct smell of foundation on her skin. Guiding you carefully, trying to keep anyone from getting too close to you, she brings you over to where Barbara is fussing over a bookshelf. With a tap on the shoulder, the kindergarten teacher turns to Melissa before brown eyes land on you. You don’t think you’ve ever seen someone so excited to see you in your entire life, and you don’t even know this woman.

“By the good lord’s graces,” she gasps at her own outburst, thrusting out her hand for you. “I’m sorry dear, it is lovely to meet you. I’m Barbara.”

Shaking her hand, you reply, “lovely to meet you, too. I’m-”

“Oh, I know exac-”

“Barb!” Melissa cuts in, pinching the bridge of her nose. Your hand rubs her arm, trying to keep her from blowing a gasket, even if you’re fighting giggles next to her. Her attention falls back on you, all annoyance fading, “you want a drink?”

You nod, feeling her already beginning to tug you away. Rushing your words, you speak to Barbara, “it was nice meeting you!”

“You too, sweetheart. I’ll see you at brunch next week, I’m sure,” Barbara chuckles warmly. Accepting that this was the closest thing she’ll get to an introduction with Melissa.

Staying behind you with hands on your hips to guide you, Melissa leads you towards the kitchen. Everything feels like it’s underwater, with her hands on you, protective and, dare you say, possessive. For someone who had been nervous for days about you meeting everyone, she sure had no care in the world now. Quietly, next to your ear, you hear her counting down from five. Just as she hits one, a squeal pierces your eardrums.

“Oh my gosh. Oh. My. Gosh!” The voice is immediately recognizable to the one that had been lecturing the redhead over the phone in your bedroom only a few weeks ago. “Hi, hi, I’m Jacob, I work with Melissa at Abbott.”

“Also lecture her, from what I heard,” you joke, making Jacob pause.

Without a chance to blink, Jacob jumps up and down, “so you’re where she’s been lately!” Both you and Melissa wince and the sheer volume of it, but recover quickly when he calms, suddenly quiet and scanning you over, “you better be careful, not for her sake, but yours.”

There’s no malice in his words, it’s a pure warning. From the look on his face, it’s entirely about what he’ll do if she gets hurt, not what Melissa would do to you. From behind you, the redhead’s brows scrunch, mostly out of confusion, ready to tell Jacob off for talking to you like that. She feels guilty, she’s the one who messed everything up before, she deserves the questioning of her worthiness.

You take Jacob’s words in stride, “I’m counting on you to set me straight then, if I ever dare to step out of line.”

Jacob’s entire demeanor goes back to normal at your words, looking at Melissa excitedly, “I like them.”

“Yeah, me too. You ain’t special,” she chuckles, hand on your hip tightening, pulling you imperceptibly closer.

Within an hour, most of the partygoers are on the dancefloor, the two of you included. Cups with rum and whatever chaser Janine had left were teetering on spilling, holding your weight against her is all that keeps you from teetering as well. Sea Barbara stays happily to herself with her cardboard cutout dance partner, content to slow dance to the fast paced music. Singing and cheering around you feels far away as your drunken attention refuses to stray from Melissa, her attention staying on you.

It’s increasingly more difficult to not kiss you when you’re this close, but with warm bodies against her at every side, it’s less than ideal. If it were, it would just be the two of you. She’s so close to just asking if you want to get out of here, but she’s interrupted just as she ducks to speak in your ear.

“Melissa! Barbara! You’re supposed to be cleaning!” Janine yells, hands on her hips. You can feel Melissa groan more than you can hear it, loud music almost deafening you in the small apartment. Barbara tries to shoo the shorter woman away, but her drunk state doesn’t hold the same level of authority that it typically does.

“Janine, it’s a party. We’re partying,” Melissa says dismissively. Not once does her hand leave your waist, keeping you from being jostled by other people.

Her speaking up has Janine’s attention back on her, who quickly recognizes your presence. Brown eyes go from your face, to the hands on you, and back to Melissa’s face. Realization and excitement washes over her face, and the chattering that comes from her is hardly heard or understood from the bass boosts and liquor. Flapping hands keep moving as you try your best to gather her words, but she’s running off excitedly before you can even introduce yourself. You watch Janine bounce towards a lanky man, pointing in your direction, clearly telling him that Melissa brought someone.

Chuckling to yourself, you look back to Melissa, whose eyes are already one you. The universe seems to be both with and against her, because just as she tries to speak, the lights go out and the music stops. Warm hands pull you closer in surprise, and you can’t even be upset about your almost empty cup dropping to the floor. Murmurs around you get louder as everyone sits in equal confusion, but Melissa feels her opportunity.

Feeling lips brush your ear, heat rises to your cheeks, “wanna get out of here?”

“God, yes,” you say, shifting your hand from her arm to her hand, interlocking your fingers. Pulling you with her, she quickly gets to Barbara to let her know you’re both leaving, sneakily passing your phone to text Gerald while she gets her friend some water.

By the end of the night, neither of you could even find the energy to change out of your clothes after walking home. Melissa’s apartment being closer was a blessing, you didn’t even register that this was the first time you’ve been there. Neither did Melissa.

Brushing her teeth next to you in the mirror, pulling back sheets on the other side of the bed, becoming your personal pillow the moment you lay on the mattress. It just felt right.

—☽—

Bobbing your head along to Deftones, you mentally map out the drawing you’re supposed to be starting. The measurements they gave you make no sense, especially with the materials they requested. It’s like they’re asking for the building to concave on itself, not to house people. You’d pressed about giving them a consultation, see the inner workings of the old medical office yourself, but they rejected it ‘for time,’ which really means money. Little do they know they’re going to end up costing themselves more.

The song switches from Shove It to Mascara as knocking raps against your door, but they go completely unnoticed to you. So does the voice trying to get your attention without having to tap your shoulder, knowing it sends ten feet in the air in surprise.

“Boss… Boss… Boss!” Terrence gets no response for the third time before looking to the woman on his left, “you’ll have to go get ‘em, I guess. Lunatic keeps the volume to ear bleeding levels so they don’t have to listen to us, I swear.”

Melissa chuckles, “well, thank you anyways, hon. I got it from here.” Moving into the room, she shuts the door behind her, leaning against it to watch you for just a moment.

What she first notices is your button up, or lack thereof, disregarded on a chair on the other side of the room. Selfishly, she lets herself look you up and down, savoring bare arms and the hard look on your face. Melissa finds herself frozen, mind racing with images of you, subconsciously biting her lip as her eyes rake over you. Only pulled out of her mind by a groan that leaves your lips, she wills herself to get closer to you.

With your back still to her, you’re unable to see her slow movements as she tries to sneak up on you. Hands trail up your sides, clutching slightly when she feels you jump at the sudden touch. Turning in her arms, your bewildered expression dies when you meet green eyes, crinkled around the edges in amusement. Catching your breath, you wrap your arms around her neck.

“You scared the shit out of me,” you say softly, “but this is a pleasant surprise.”

“Missed you. I’ve barely seen you all week,” her arms tighten around your waist.

You press your lips together, trying to hide the giddy feeling in your chest that’s spreading, “I’m sorry, they’ve got me practically chained to the desk until this draft is drawn up. Fuckers think it’s easy turning procedure suites into apartments, it’s not.”

“Not your fault, sweetheart,” her lips press to your cheek as she tugs you in, missing holding you, being held by you. “I have dinner with my family tomorrow night, though, so I won’t be around. Just wanted to get my time in with you before I go into withdrawals.”

You laugh at her words, “Withdrawal? Little melodramatic, don’t you think?”

“Me? Never,” she tries to keep a serious face, but her smile overtakes as she watches you roll your eyes lightheartedly.

A finger twirls a copper strand around, voice weary, “tell everyone I said hi?”

“Well…” Melissa’s face drops a little, knowing she hasn’t told her family that you’re back in her life. Her eyes scan your face, seeing the smallest hint of sadness, and hurries to correct it. “You can tell them yourself, if you want.”

The twirling stops, “you mean that? Because you can’t offer that if you don’t mean it.”

“I mean it, I promise,” her hands sit more firmly on you now, “they miss you, they just never mention it. But they do. Especially John Anthony. And Kristin Marie, but she’ll never admit that, even to herself.”

The only answer she received is a strong kiss pressing to her lip, her eyes immediately fluttering shut at the contact. The hand in her hair tightens as your entire body pushes into her, groaning at the feeling of her on you mixing with the emotions of it all. How easily she asked you to come with her, to see her family, to be by her side for real this time. It feels too early to say what you want to at this moment, so you just kiss her harder.

Melissa spent half the day and the entire drive to the house telling you that no, her parents don’t hate you, and that yes, they will be incredibly excited to see you again. She kept the knowledge of your attendance secret, not wanting to be slammed with questions, but mostly because she wanted to see the look on her mother’s face when she saw her favorite not-her-child from all those years ago.

“Are you sure you want me to go? I don’t want to if you only offered because you felt like you had to. If I’m impos-”

“You’re not imposing,” she almost whispers as she cradles your face, “I want you there. It hasn’t felt the same since you stopped coming.”

Pressing kissing to your knuckles every now and then, Melissa manages to take some of the anxiety off your shoulders. Turning onto the familiar street, you immediately sit up straighter in your seat, checking your outfit and fiddling with everything, desperate to pick off lint that isn’t even there. Melissa lets it go, knowing there’s no stopping this. Part of her feels guilty, knowing she’s the reason that you felt they could hate you, that they wouldn’t be happy to see you. All she ever told them was you had a mutual falling out, never that it was her fault, especially not that it was yours.

Pulling up in front of the house, Melissa’s fingers tighten around yours. Looking up at her, you see the silent question in her eyes, giving her a nod that tells her you’re fine. To prove yourself, you hop out of the car to jog to her side, opening the door for her with a grin. Shaking her head with a half-hidden smile on her lips, she takes your offered hand and pulls you into her, walking with you to the door.

No knocking required, Melissa steps in first, only letting go of your hand for a brief moment to shrug off your jackets before her hand is back in yours. Chattering in the kitchen leads you to where everyone stands or sits, sipping on beers and white wine. Clearing her throat, Melissa gets the attention of the room. Silence fills the previously loud air.

“Yooooo!” You hear someone yell, a voice that you recognize all too well. Without a moment’s notice, you’re immediately tackled, hand being ripped from Melissa’s. You hug the person back, still trying to figure out exactly who it is, but the exaggerated leaning side-to-side gives you everything. Little John Anthony isn’t so little anymore, not that he ever really was.

Feeling another body against you, one arm reaches behind to give some level of contact as acknowledgement. Slowly people let go of you while others come in, and all you can feel is glad that everything is so busy, no one will see the happy tears forming in your eyes. Annette’s noodle arms let go of you, moving as she feels a tap on her back. When she moves, Melissa’s mother stands before you.

“Finally,” she says, cradling your face in her soft hands, “I knew you’d be back.” Patting your cheek, she finally moves out of the way for others to get a hold of you. Melissa can barely see you most of the night, but the warmth in her chest grows every time she sees you talking with someone new, hugging someone else as you talk. Kristin Marie hides her excitement well, but not well enough, though you let her get away with hugging you tightly without saying anything about it.

By dinner time, everyone’s been reacquainted with your presence, and Melissa can finally get her hands on you again. Scooching her chair closer, she mumbles in your ear while the conversation carries around the table.

“Told you, nothing to worry about,” her hand squeezes your thigh reassuringly.

“I missed them,” you say, running your fingers up and down her arm, “I missed this.”

Family dinner ends the way it always does, with everyone talking in the living room, sipping coffee or the remainder of their drinks. You take your place next to Melissa on the couch, leaning your head on her shoulder as she talks to Toni about something you can’t remember. You haven’t felt this at peace in so long, you missed your family. Annette and Vinny fighting, music playing from the TV, chattering around you in a mix of Italian and English, it’s comforting.

Looking up from your perch on her shoulder, you keep your eyes on Melissa. Watching her hands move as she speaks, how happy she looks, how beautiful she is. Turning slightly to put her glass on the table, she catches your gaze, the corners of her lips going up as she catches the lovesick look on your face. Fully knowing she’s being watched, fully feeling the warmth in her cheeks, she leans in to press a soft kiss to your lips. Careful to not linger long, she pulls away and goes back to her conversation with her sister.

No more hiding.

—☽—

“Am I buying groceries for two people or three this week?” You ask as you walk into the kitchen, fidgeting with the pen in your hand,

“Mmm… Jacob mentioned maybe stopping by tomorrow night, so probably three,” Melissa answers, looking through the pantry, “and we need potatoes, I forgot to write that down.”

“Red ones?” You joke, coming up behind her to press your lips to the junction of her neck. Leaning her head back onto your shoulder, she lets you continue your path up her neck to her jaw, nipping at her ear. “I gotta get going before they close,” Melissa whines at the loss of contact, “I’ll be quick, might not even pay.”

She chuckles warmly, scrunching her nose, “right, sure you won’t, goodie-two-shoes.”

Pulling away, you jot down russets and give her another kiss, this one to her lips. “I love you,” you mumble as you part, “see you in a bit.”

The moment the front door shuts, the once cozy and nonchalant Melissa is replaced by a frenzied and excited one. Flying around the house, she begins to put her plan in place. Tealights are placed everywhere, the lighter checked for fuel, the small box from under her socks now buried in her pocket, she just had to open the bottle of Angel’s Envy. It took an embarrassing number of different liquor stores to find, but that was months ago, and this is now.

Melissa lights the last candle just as she hears your car door slam shut, then the trunk. Staying out of direct view, she watches you come in the door, looking at your feet as you walk. You’re in your own little world, completely walking through to the kitchen, dropping the bags off. Making your way into the living room, you almost drop the bouquet in your hands.

Candles all around the room, music playing softly from the record player, Melissa wearing your sweater. Your jaw drops, eyes wide as you stare at the redhead, utterly bewildered. She takes the chance to step a little closer, watery smile stretching across her face as you shakily hold out red chrysanthemums. Taking them carefully, she sets them on the table, grabbing your hand to pull you with her. Soft eyes watch her every movement, letting her move you around until you’re where she wants you.

“I love you,” Melissa says quietly, shifting from the couch to the floor, “I’ve loved you since the day I met you, and I haven’t stopped once. Even when I didn’t know, I loved you. When I wouldn’t listen to my own brain, I loved you. When I thought I couldn’t, I loved you.”

“Mel…” Your voice comes out cracked, a wobbly lip stuck between smiling and sobbing.

“Let me finish, baby,” she says softly, stroking the hand she holds in her own, “you are everything to me, and it took me too long to figure that out. But now, I’m not taking a single thing for granted, not you, never you.” Melissa reaches into her back pocket, pulling out a small, emerald box, “I wish I could’ve had you my whole life, but all I can ask you for is the rest of it.”

Tears spill down your cheeks at her words, fingers clinging to her hand like a life source. You so badly want to reach out, cup her face, and kiss her, her words playing the strings of your heart, but you refrain. Too much restraint goes into not pouncing on her the second she pulled out the ring box, your lips practically begging to be on hers already. You can’t help the frown on your face when Melissa’s hand leaves you, properly holding the ring to present it to you.

“Will you marry me?” The smile on her lips only grows as she asks, knowing what you’ll say just based on the look you give her.

What she doesn’t account for was that all your restraint would break, and she’s knocked to the floor as you pepper her face with kisses, lips smacking against her skin. Moving from her forehead, to her cheeks, and finally, to her lips. All love, all want, all devotion, all you.

“Yes, yes,” you answer quickly, lips barely parting from hers, “God, I love you. I love you so much.”

Chuckling at your overexcited babbling, she manages to sit you both up, keeping you in her lap. A warm hand pulls your left hand from her face, sliding the ring on without taking her eyes off of you. Your hand immediately goes back to her face, pulling her into your kiss once more.

Morning back pain be damned, neither of you leave the floor of the living room the rest of the night. Waking up with your heart beating under her ear is all the consolation she needs, your newly ringed hand in hers.

At the next family dinner, all the cousins take one peek at your hand, eyes widening. Melissa and you both brace for shouting and to be lifted in the air by one of her brothers, but you were wrong. Maria Christina groans as she passes a twenty over to Seamus, who was getting handed money by at least four other people. He peeks up to see a very shocked you and Melissa.

“What? We all saw it coming, I just picked the right week. Ma said tomorrow.”

note: time for sol’s monthly novel <3 hope you enjoyed

feedback appreciated as always

[howi99]

Follow up to the prison post

Cinder: *still looking at her own reflection in the mirror* How? His semblance is supposed to be Aura amplification! How did he?

The door of her cell open

Jaune: *seeing her looking at the mirror* Still wondering about my little magic trick?

Cinder: *turning around to face him, almost growling* What do you want, Arc?

Jaune: *shaking his head, putting a journal on the bed alongside some books* Giving you a taste of the outside? You know, the one you almost destroyed?

Cinder: *angry* Because you honestly think i had a choice!?

Jaune: *rolling his eyes* Yes. Many times in fact. In fact, every time i fought you after i came back from the ever after, i gave you a chance.

Cinder: Ah! As if you would have let me live!

Jaune: ... *Sigh* Cinder, i don't think you understand what i lived through. How long i lived through it. *Sitting on a chair next to the bed* I stopped hating you a long, very long time ago.

Cinder: Stop lying, we both know you want me dead.

Jaune: *nod* I do want you dead, yes. I want you dead, because that's what you deserve. It's a fact, a truth. *Pause for a moment, seeming to think about his words* You are alone, Cinder. Nobody wants you and nobody will ever want you. I could give you your old beauty, it wouldn't even matter. And honestly? *Lean forward* I find that infinitely sad.

Cinder: *surprised* What's that supposed to mean?

Jaune: *lean back* Exactly what i'm saying. You are a remnant of the past, a past everyone is now trying to forget and move on from. *Points to his head* Everyone will forget about you. *Chuckle* Well, everyone but me.

Cinder: Tsk... *Goes to sit on the other chair* Can you tell me how you did it?

Jaune: *feigning ignorance* Hm? Did what?

Cinder: *angry muttering* You know damn well what I'm talking about... *Sigh* How did you bring back my eye?

Jaune: *smirking* The ever after was a prison, yes. *Wave his hand, making a ball of light which turned into a kaleidoscope of colors* And a great place to learn and harvest magic. *Taking a pensive look* When i think about it, it's a good thing you didn't fall back then. Or we probably would have been all doomed.

Cinder: ... That's it? Magic? That's the explanation?

Jaune: *scratching his beard* The short answer? Yes. The long answer is that i used the memory your own soul has of your body. Your body may change, but your aura, your soul doesn't. *Waving off* I could have used my semblance, but instead of being instantaneous, it would have taken a week... Oh and you would have suffered all the way through.

Cinder: Then why give it back?

Jaune: *shrug* You kick puppies for fun, i heal them. Nothing more, nothing less.

Cinder: ... I never hurt animals.

Jaune: Not.... The point i was trying to make, but a nice tidbit to know about you. Other than your casualties counts and your hatred of Atlas, it's not like i know a lot about you.

Cinder: *angry* That place deserved to burn!

Jaune: Maybe. Atlas was a corrupted den of nepotism, but i don't think the common folks deserved to die.

Cinder: *bark a single laugh# Ah! As if your team didn't bring its share of destruction to the place! Remember Ironwood? THAT wasn't me.

Jaune: *sigh* Oh don't worry, i know that too well. But i can't blame a bunch of kids for making bad calls. Hell, the adults were as dumb as us.

Cinder: *chuckle* At least you can see your own mistakes.

Jaune: I had time to learn from them.

Cinder: ... Since you are going to be my jailer for the foreseeable future... How long exactly did you stay in the ever after? Or whatever that place's called.

Jaune: *seeming to think about the question* Well, the gods were already gone from the place, but it was before humanity's downfall. Take the fact time goes faster in the ever after.... Maybe centuries? Though i'd say a millennium would be accurate-

Cinder: *surprised, getting up of the chair* I THOUGHT YOU WERE TRAPPED 20 YEARS!?

Jaune: Hm? Oh yeah, when team RWBY arrived, my body was probably in its forty. I age incredibly slowly, but i still do age.

Cinder: *completely bewildered, sit back down* Wow... I... I never expected that! How did you stay sane?

Jaune: ... I didn't? I mean, I spent the last 50 years of my life there saving the same village over and over again. Day after day... I don't hear voices, if you were wondering. But i lost a good part of myself there. In a way, the Jaune you knew died a long time ago, only leaving a rusted husk at his place. One that was repaired, yes, but can never be the same.

Cinder: *sigh* Great, then i guess i'll turn mad before seeing the bright sky again.

Jaune: *taking his scroll out* With good conduct and if you seem repented enough, you'll probably be out in a little hundred years. Beside, you will have interaction with the outside. Books, journal and whatnot. Oh, and me, of course. And for the sky part, you get 6 hours of free time, it's not like you can't go in the courtyard during that time.

Cinder: *silent for a moment* Why did you choose to be my jailor? Instead of letting someone else do it?

Jaune: *Thinking over the question* Hm... Because i can? Because if i can at least change you, make you a better person, maybe then my friends death won't have been in vain? Because i know what being alone feels like and even if i hate you, i wouldn't wish that to anyone? Maybe... Maybe i just want to help a child who never knew better? *Shrug* Who knows?

Cinder: ...

Jaune: *get up, walking to the door* You are alone outside those walls... But, as long as you will be here, i won't let you go. Even if we both hate each other, i'll always be there for you when you need it.*smile* I'm still the Rusted Knight after all. *Leave, closing the door*

Cinder: *Sigh* You should have been here for me a long time ago then... When i still believed in him. *Looking at the books, one in particular picking her attention, an old book with burned marks on it* That book... *She picks it up, turns a page and sees her own signature* ... *Tears form in her eyes, as she begins reading The girl who fell through the world, like she used to*

[anniebass]

baby don't be mad

1.3k word actverse ficlet under the jump rating: M tags: dialogue-heavy, beginning of the relationship, the boys are arguinggg, old man eddie's being a clueless slut, and also a dweeb, and steve's being... a person that rly needs therapy lol

Rapid catchups, they name it, though it doesn’t really need a name, it’s basically just talking. Early on Eddie realizes he doesn’t know all that much about his sexy old-but-new long distance serious boyfriend, that he possesses a fuckton of outdated information, that, duh, people change, especially in the long-ass time they spent apart. That the habits and opinions of a twenty-year-old shithead don’t necessarily last until someone’s forties.

That evening, they do the rapid catchups, starting off easy, prompted by the takeout dinner they have at Steve’s: best Asian food, go, at which without a second thought Steve says Chinese, while Eddie goes with Japanese, love me some sushi, yum. Later, when they’re full of kung pao and mapo tofu, lazily digesting on the couch, half-watching an old movie where Sharon Stone saunters across the screen and smolders at bad men, Steve says: you have to sleep with a woman, any woman in the world, dead or alive, go.

Eddie groans and slides down the couch, throws his hands up: dude, I don’t know! Uh, like maybe— Cleopatra? Or maybe one of those amazonian greek warriors with one boobie?

So, no one you actually know the face of? he says, with a little smirk.

Man, I don’t— I mean, there are some beautiful women walking this earth, like stunning stunning women I can’t get enough of, but that don’t mean I want to fuck them! My willy shrinks at the thought, he explains meekly, and shrugs, clicking his tongue: I dunno, maybe Eartha Kitt? She seems very fun.

Good choice, mutters Steve, and to Eddie’s your turn he tilts his head, scratches his nose: I don’t know if that question really applies to me. But if I had to have a sex list, it would be… Linda Evangelista? Or Sharon, she’s hot. Or— yeah, Monica Belucci, Jesus. Her, definitely. If not her then Cleopatra, that’s actually a great answer, she must have been good for all that shit to go down around her, he says with a smile, and Eddie sighs dreamily, oh, I’d love to watch. From the closet, imagine myself in her place. In a little egyptian wig, he adds, to which Steve snorts, rolling his eyes.

Alright, my turn. Best casual sex you’ve ever had, go, says Eddie, and Steve hums at that, leans back on the couch, rubbing his chin, mumbling under his breath, until he sighs and says: I actually didn’t have that much of it beyond my teens, and what I had back then was very… teenaged, y’know. And in that short gap between my first and second wife I slept with just three people, two dudes and one woman, and neither of those was mind-blowing. The guys were kinda disappointing, I thought after so many years of straight sex I’d be blown away, but it was just… okay. Actually—, he adds, shaking his head: it sucked. I was drunk, they were drunk, I don’t remember much of it. Or don’t want to. I remember stinky balls. So, I dunno—, he says, and sighs, and glances at him: am I a big loser if I say the best one was when we reconnected? Could say it was still casual back then, right? When we fucked in the church, or by the pool, or—, yeah, there was a lot of it, on that trip.

It really was magical, agrees Eddie, smiling at him.

So, uh, your turn, says Steve. Best you've ever had, go.

Oh, man, mutters Eddie. I know my answer to that. Japan, in the mid-nineties. We were on tour and stayed for a few nights in Tokyo, and I got to explore the city, research shit with the help of a very discreet translator, and finally, on our last night there, I ended up in a gay bar. Very hush-hush, a basement place hidden away in some grimy back alley, he says, lowering his voice into sultry tones of gossip. Met a guy there, this… slightly chubby middle-aged businessman type, suit and tie and briefcase, wedding ring on his finger, very regular looking guy, and we drank sake through the night, sang some karaoke, and ended up in some seedy by-the-hour love hotel. He didn’t know who I was, didn’t speak a lick of English, I was obviously drunk, but I still remember that night like it was yesterday. God, just— the way that guy fucked me, the way he seemed to know every inch of my body without having seen it before, the way he just knew what I wanted without any language, it was insane. We did it a few times that one night, practically without stopping, and never saw each other again. I actually jerk off to that memory to this day.

To this, Steve lets out a small hm, purses his lips and leans back, crossing his arms, and Eddie clicks his tongue, leaning closer, touching his shoulder: aw, don’t be jealous. That was casual, but out of all people, of course you are my number one, no contest. I just— remember that one time in Japan, because it worked so well without language, and that’s always kinda hot. Language of love, all that cheesy stuff. Up to that point and following it, it'd mostly happen with some hot Brazilians.

Okay, he says.

Eddie sighs, watching his face: Steve, you know that’s what my life was like back then, this neverending barrage of hookups. And most of those weren’t even that good, like, you talk of stinky balls? I met dozens, slobbered over them anyway like they were fucking Ferrero Rocher!, he says to a small groan in return, then sighs, speaks softer: being with you is a completely different quality from that, even from my previous relationships. It’s way different. With Marcell, we both slept around, there wasn’t much that we had in common beyond, like, incredible attraction at the beginning, and the fact that we work in the same industry, could endlessly talk about that. And with Zu, we— we really loved each other, but we weren’t a good fit. It was this weird thing where she needed someone more masc, but also I needed someone more masc, he says with an amused scoff. We were two bottoms in love, and it’s hard to make it work in the long term, without fucking other people. We’re way better off as friends. And the other dudes I dated, it was just— me being a drunken asshole, most of the time. I was a very shitty boyfriend for a looong-ass time.

There’s a stretch of silence, and Steve slides down the couch, still frowning: man… I just wonder why you asked that question in the first place. Because it seems to me like you wanted to brag a little about this incredible hookup you had in fucking… Japan. Do you miss fucking other people, Eddie?

He sighs, rakes a hand through his hair: Steve, I literally just told you I don’t. I might romanticize it, the— the way I might romanticize being on drugs, but I don’t want to go back to that. I asked because I want to know everything about you! I dunno, I— I guess I like Japan. It’s such a weird place, I really want to go back there, he says and inches closer, placing a calm hand on his thigh: come with me. Like, for two weeks or something. We’d take the girls with us, go in the summer or for the spring break. Would be cool to just wander around, shop, sing karaoke, eat tons of good food. Go to Kyoto, see the geishas, tea ceremony. Go to hot springs. Japan’s truly like no place you’ve ever been to.

I didn't know you liked it that much. A trip does sound nice, says Steve, with a small smile. Emily would go crazy, she loves those cartoons. Chels would like it too, I think.

Eddie smiles and squeezes his leg: sounds like a plan. Also, just to— get it out of the way: from the moment you first kissed me, I stopped thinking of us as casual. I was, like, fully fully back in love with you in point two seconds. Even before that, to be honest. If I ever for a single moment considered that a hookup, it’d totally blow that businessman out of the water. If you want, I could show you, uh, how I blew him out of the— fucking—, he falters, then snorts: sorry, failed metaphor. But you catch my drift.

Yes, please, says Steve.

[kindaasrikal]

Garmadon and Morro and their possible stupidity that should’ve been used in the departed realm, part 4:

Part 3 - Part 5

Morro: Garmadon.

Garmadon: Yes?

Morro: no, Garmadon-

Garmadon: What is it this time, child?

Morro: this is kidnapping.

Garmadon: *carrying Morro over his shoulder.* You must be a child to be kidnapped, Morro.

Morro: what exactly classifies as a kid to you.

Garmadon: Hm..I suppose a child is under 25 years. Mentally speaking for most Ninjagians, though for me and Wu I’d say somewhere around 5017 years?

Morro:….God, you’re old.

Garmadon: Wha-I am not-

Morro: besides the point, Garmadon how bloody old do you think i am???

Garmadon: Well…are you not 28?

Morro: excuse me. TWENTY EIGHT??

Garmadon: Ah, was I off? I did always assume you may just look a tad young for your age of 34.

Morro: THIRTYYY FOURRRRR???? YOU THINK IM THIRTY FOUR??

Garmadon: …Yes? Was I still a bit off?? *Garmadon, who is now thinking Morro might be in his early forties with great genes or skincare, everyone.*

Morro: Garmadon oh my GOD.

Morro: IM EIGHTEEN.

Garmadon:

Garmadon:

Garmadon: YOU’RE A BABY??????

Morro: A BABYY?????

Morro: I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRYYYYYY-

Garmadon: RUNNING WILL NOT PROTECT YOU FROM YOUR FATE, CHILD!

Morro: I DIDN’T KNOW!

Garmadon: HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY NOT KNOW?!

Morro: WELL ITS NOT EVERYDAY YOU LEARN THE GARMADON COULD-

Garmadon: Finish that damn sentence. I dare you.

Morro: …no?

Garmadon: Ah, Morro! There you are, I was wondering-

Morro: Everyday I question my very existence. The overwhelming guilt that transcends my body feels as though it is choking me from the inside out. Like claws are scratching at my throat, golden coloured and dusted red with the insides of my very being. The regret that flows between my eyelids as I storm through a stampede of memories of what once was constantly fills my brain with tears of longing. I wonder, on a daily, what destiny had out for me. Did my endless running from my fate, only lead to the inevitability of my end?

Garmadon: ….Please, for the love of everything good, get therapy.

Morro: but then i don’t get to trauma dump on you at random :(

Morro: hey, Garmadon?

Garmadon: *smacks his hand onto Morro’s face and pushes him into the grass* You ask too many questions.

Morro: ow what-

Morro: personally, i think four legs would’ve been cooler.

Garmadon: Personally, I think green on black is an ugly combination.

Morro: *clutches his hair* well, personally, i think having red eyes just makes you look like a dumb cartoon character!

Garmadon: Wha- then personally, I think having a dirty gi on for decades is bad hygiene!

Morro: you and i both know i can’t change that! And personally, i think aging over a thousand years in just ten means you aged like milk!

Garmadon: And I think not aging at all for over four decades is just plain stupid!

Morro: wELL EXCUSE ME FOR DYING-

*in the distance (like a few feet away) two figures stand*

Cryptor:….what are they even doing?

Mystake: *pouring tea* hm?

Cryptor: I mean, why are they arguing like two toddlers??

Mystake: Ah, well.*sips tea* That maybe my fault.

Cryptor:…what did you do?

Mystake: I may, or may not, have accidentally given them the great idea of releasing their pent up anger through childish insults. It was only a coincidence they both chose each other as their victims. *grimaces as the voices get louder*

Cryptor: Well, *grabs a tea cup* it makes for good entertainment.

Garmadon: I DO NOT HAVE DADDY ISSUES!-

I find my self hilarious, guys please i think this is better then part 3 maybe hopefully possibly. The one with morro running away is something you can just lowkey assume on what morro found out/did (i like to think its cause Morro found out if you pull a dragons tail hard enough they jump onto the nearest, and tallest, thing and hold on for dear life like a cat whilst hissing, Garmadon hates it). The first one is under the impression they’re all still green. Also i was thinking of that meme audio about guessing someone’s age and each time it gets higher the person screams. If you know what I’m talking about.

Is this me trying to sell my Cryptor and Morro duo to you guys? As Garmadon’s students? Maybe. Also Mystake I love her guys her death was honestly heartbreaking to me.

Also if you wanna find the other parts I think clicking the tempest duo tag will show them.

Guys please i swear I’m funny-

[heartfullofleeches]

You know what i would like to see a goldfish reader cause i mean goldfish can be really tiny and can get fairly big, maybe reader is from a pet store and gets bought for a young rich yandere and gets absolutely pampered and gets huge, clifford the big red dog style

"Sorry, I can't make it this year."

"Mom won't drive me out that far....."

"Maybe next time?"

"Next year."

Next year... Next year.. They'll be forty by the time that rolls around. It's always the same. People stick around for the lavish parties and taste of the high life, but the second they want to downgrade for something small with close friends and family everyone's suddenly too busy to come see them. The presents have always been shit too. Flashy jewelry or clothing from brands they couldn't care less about. Whatever happened to giving kids toy trains and dolls? They're sick of it. Sick of everything. Why can't anything turn out right-

Auryn hurls their phone at the door, anger fleeting as it smashes into a million pieces. Mommy and daddy will just buy them a new one, and while it won't do a scratch they love the idea of burning a hole in their pockets. Wasting all the money they gave them instead of time. The door creaks open once the coast is clear and in peaks a frightened maid. Her eyes fall to her arms, soothing whatever she held with a soft hush. They return to her master, waiting for their answer.

"Come in."

The maid opens the door completely and steps inside. In her hands was a glass bowl. "From your parents."

Auryn drums their leg against the frame of their bed, wondering why their arms were still empty. "Well?"

The maid shoves the bowl into their chest as passive she could, prioritizing the creature within over her annoyance. They look into the glass. Floating at the bottom; staring right back at them, was a little goldfish. Poor thing had been startled awake by the loud thud and trying to squeeze its tail into the castle it had already outgrown. It still couldn't have been any bigger than their hand. Beyond its human features, there was nothing special about it. A fish.

A fucking fish. Out of all the things they could've sent. The maid could sense their rage flaring. "Please give it a chance. Your brother couldn't keep it, and he knew you'd be the next best owner."

Their nails scrap the glass. That only makes it worse. Their family dumping their trash on them was a new low. What were they going to do with this thing? They should put it out of its misery. Abandoned, weak, unable to feign for itself.... just like them.

Auryn looks at the goldfish again. They stick a finger in its tank, swishing it around as the guppy takes interest. It swims up to them and puts its mouth around the digit, nibbling at the skin. They smile a bit, pulling their finger away which in turn causes the fish to dart away. Their brows furrow in worry.

"... I'm..sorry for scaring you. You're just like me aren't you? Alone. Afraid. I'll take care of you. I promise. Why don't we start off by getting you a new tank?"

.

.

.

"Noooooo"

You shake in their arms as the divers attempt to fit their measuring tools around your tail, successfully knocking two of them away and sending the third packing. Auryn strokes your tears into your scaly flesh, fighting a laugh as the hired help resurfaces.

"I don't want to get measured!"

"Shhhh. It's okay. If even one scale is missing off that gorgeous tail I'll cut their oxygen and add a few bricks to their suits."

You still aren't convinced. Auryn melts at the way you curl against their chest. The first time they held you like this you were about the size of a puppy. Now, your tail alone was bigger as their entire torso and your arms were tree trunks compared to theirs. They had done exactly as they said. After you came into their life no one else mattered. They got you a nice large tank to start off with, fed you a healthy diet with plenty of treats since your speak lessons were going so well, and spoke with you for hours. You were already half their size by the end of the year. They used to take you on walks in your little bowl, then they had to buy a wagon to carry you around, and now you lived in a glorified swimming pool no one else had access to besides care beyond their capabilities. Having you turned them into a more compassionate, but closed off person, and got them through the worse in life. They were successful in nearly every endeavor and it was all for you.

Auryn gets close to your ear as their voice rises in pitch. "But if you reaaaally don't want to - I'll have to find some other guppy to give all the brine shrimp I have in the house to."

Your tail cracks against the pool's wall, ripping the water's surface with tidal category waves and pushing the workers back down under. "I'll be good! I will- please!"

"Haha - ok, ok." They give a thumbs up to the divers as they climb in the pool. You work with them this time, channeling your fright as their tools stretch and stick around you into the grip you hold on Auryn's arm - careful not to apply too much. They grit through the pain and as one of the divers comes up again they take the measuring tape still held by the rest and lines it up to your head.

"4 meters!"

Auryn exclaims in glee and grabs you by the cheeks, cooing and kissing your nose as they laugh. "Look at you! A whole nother meter in just one year. Keep this up and we'll have to buy an island."

A servant knocks on the sliding glass door. Auryn excuse themselves with one final kiss to your wet lips as they hop out of your tank. They hand them a phone.

"It's your parents. They are in town with your brother and would like to take you out for your birthday this evening."

Auryn gets real close to the receiver as they speak. "Eat shit and die. Stay the hell away from us."

[alisonfelixwrites]

sunlit. - part two - muse one shot [harry styles au]

//

part one.

summary: in which Eden and Harry lost track of one another after she moved back to the UK, and she is visiting her father's house a year later with her boyfriend.

A/N: you guys asked for a part two.......... BUCKLE UP

word count: 18,859

CW's: age gap, SMUT! oral (f & m receiving), rimming (f & m receiving) spitting, choking, degrading, unprotected sex, anal play , mentions of a threesome

//

“Sadie…” Harry sighed, stroking his hand over his dog’s head as she whined softly, her head resting on his lap. He rolled his eyes a bit, “No need to be dramatic now. You’re the one who licked the bar of soap.”

He softly scolded the dog, always rather happy that no one could hear him as he spoke to his dogs as if they were humans.

Harry was beat. Not only was it about forty degrees outside in the peak of summer in Italy, but he had a right scare today when Sadie started throwing up. Panicked, Harry sprinted to the house of his neighbors to ask them to watch the smallest dog as he took the biggest to the vet, but no one answered.

Grumbling and cursing under his breath, Harry then brought both dogs with him. He knew Lola wouldn’t be calm when Sadie wasn’t there, so leaving her home by herself wasn’t an option. 

After a day of vet-visits, comforting Sadie and rolling his eyes when he realized she licked the bar of soap and got sick because of that - Harry was now home. Both dogs snuggled into his side as he laid on the leather couch in his living room, fan blowing in full force in an attempt to keep the three of them a little cooler.

Harry loved living in Italy. He hadn’t regretted it for a second, but days like today made it even impossible to be outside for longer than a few minutes. Even a dip in the pool wouldn’t cool him off enough. He needed to stay inside.

With his shirt unbuttoned and one hand on Sadie’s fur, he grabbed his phone. The Italian news was on but Harry hardly paid attention, opening up the dating app on his phone. He blinked while lazily scrolling, deleting every profile he came across as none of the women he saw peaked his interest.

No one had really peaked his interest in a long time. No one but Eden.

Harry clenched his jaw and sighed out through his nose, swiping the other way on a few profiles in a pathetic attempt to prove to himself that he was no longer thinking of her. It had been a fucking year. And this girl, who was ten years younger than, left a gaping hole in his heart when she left after their summer romance.

He wasn’t exactly sure what he missed. At first it was the sex, because that was the main thing about their meet-ups. Sex and sex and sex. And then he missed her smile, and her scent, and the rambles she did, and how grumpy she was in the mornings, and how she made his coffee and excitedly walked the dogs and kept him company. 

Harry hated to admit that he fell for her. 

He brought the screen a bit closer as he squinted at the description one of the women wrote on her profile.

“Looking for a serious relationship.” He mumbled, translating the italian before huffing out, “Yeah, skip.” He locked his phone again and sighed out, swallowing as he attempted to not think about Eden.

He failed, of course.

He always failed. Harry knew it was better this way. They had no future. She wouldn’t move here, and he was too set in his ways to uproot his Italian life and move back to London for a girl. Harry wasn’t pliant. If he were to meet someone, she’d have to fit his mold. Some called it stubborn, others called it being an asshole. Harry called it being his own person and protecting that. 

Sadie’s eyes closed as she laid her head on his tummy and Harry scratched below her chin for a bit to calm her. Lola snuggled into his other side and he stroked her fur too, eternally grateful for his two dogs. He wondered if they missed Eden when she left. 

He knew it was bad to be involved with her. They had to hide and she had to sneak over to his house most nights. They couldn’t decently go out, afraid of being seen. So they stayed in and Eden quickly made his house a home for herself. Harry remembered the third or fourth time she walked in, it was as if she owned the place. She knew where everything was and moved through Harry’s large house with such confidence and comfort, it almost felt like he was the visitor instead of her.

And he allowed her. He allowed her to buy plants, he allowed her to rearrange his furniture, he allowed her to tape her favorite shows on his television, he even allowed her to paint over one of the walls that had a dreadful gray color before. Every time he walked past the muted orange wall of the hallway now, he was sledgehammered back to a painting Eden in this very house.

It had never felt so lonely here as it did after she left.

He groaned to himself, running a palm over his face before deciding to just get to bed and clear his mind. It had been a year. He had to get a grip. 

His dogs whined and pouted from the movement of his body and Harry coaxed them, even picking small Lola up on his arm to carry her upstairs after he turned off the fan and locked all the doors. He checked their water bowls and made sure the water was nice and fresh for them before heading up the stairs, Sadie trotting behind him.

Harry yawned as he set Lola down on his sheets and Sadie jumped up too, almost knowing her side of the bed and leaving Harry’s untouched. His sheets were still ruffled from when he got up this morning, and Harry shrugged off the linen shirt he wore to maybe grab a quick, cold shower before bed - the ultimate way to cool down.

Walking around his bedroom, he couldn’t help it when his eyes were drawn to his window to glance at Eden’s window. The light hadn’t been on there in a year. He sometimes saw a bit of movement, but suspected it was just Ron or Colleen cleaning the room. 

But now, he stopped dead in his tracks.

It was dark outside, but her lights were on. The lights in Eden’s room were on. Harry squinted as he walked up to the window, dropping the shirt in his hand and blinking to get a clearer view of what was going on.

That’s not Eden, he thought to himself.

No, he saw a shirtless guy, leaning back against the windowsill. Harry could only see the guy’s back and shaggy brown hair. His shoulders were tense, fingers gripping around the windowsill as the guy tipped his head back. Harry’s brows raised, wondering who the hell this was.

Did Ron and Colleen rent out their house for the weekend?

“Oh my god.” Harry mumbled, bile rising up in his throat when a second person emerged.

Eden.

She rose from her knees, a smile on her lips as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and licked her lips, even wiping her mouth a bit with the back of her hand. Harry didn’t have to wonder what she was doing on her knees in front of him.

Her hair was slightly longer and a bit more wavy, and she was in a sport’s bra. Harry’s throat ran dry when he couldn’t even blink. He couldn’t move. If Eden had eyes for anything else but the guy in front of her, she’d for sure see Harry. But Eden didn’t take her eyes off the guy, smiling as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he pulled her in for a kiss.

Harry blinked a few times, wondering if he was fucking dreaming. Eden arched into the guy, who went on to cup her ass, lifting her up easily before they disappeared from view.

The lights were still on, and Harry saw their shadows dancing on the wall of the bedroom he had the view of. He saw tangled legs for a bit, but every other part of their bodies was concealed by the curtains or the brick wall of the smaller house next to Harry’s.

He felt sick. She was here? Eden was here?

Harry’s hands trembled as he quickly pulled out his phone, scrolling down to his text-conversation with Eden.

His stomach sank a bit when he noticed the final message they had exchanged. One from her, from about seven months ago. And even before that, the conversation was mostly one sided. Eden texted him good morning on most days, and Harry only sparsely replied. 

At the time, he didn’t feel like too much of a dick about it. He basically thought he was doing her a favor. When Eden left, they promised to text and call. And they did, for the first few weeks. But it died down. Eden got a job, hung out with friends, had her life back home while Harry was here. She didn’t make plans to come here, he didn’t make plans to go there and it just… ended. 

In her last message she ever sent him, she asked him if he slept well. He never responded. It was a moment of clarity for Harry, realizing it wasn’t going anywhere and they had no future. He was a fool to think they ever did. And so he broke it off and just stopped responding.

Now, with trembling fingers, he drafted up a message to her.

Message to: Eden, xx

Am I dreaming?

His thumb ghosted over the screen as he stared at the words, flicking his eyes back to the window every few seconds until his shoulders dropped a bit. He deleted the message. 

The lights were still on but he didn’t see anything anymore. He felt sick. Absolutely sick. The first time he saw Eden in a year and she was in bed with another guy.

Eden’s phone on the bedside table stayed silent as Harry decided not to text her, and she laid on the bed with Jason between her thighs. They had to keep it down, remembering her father and Colleen were downstairs watching television.

“Careful.” Eden whispered as the bed rocked into the wall a little too hard. Jason groaned into her neck, “Fuck - I can’t slow down, ‘m so close.”

Eden pouted as she ran her hands through his hair, “I haven’t cum yet.”

Jason slammed inside of her, making Eden squeak a bit as she jolted up on the bedding. He stayed deep, completely hunched over her, “G-Give me a second.” He panted, recomposing himself. Eden bit her lip and nodded, allowing Jason a little time if it meant getting her off. She stroked her thumb over his cheekbone, staring into the deep blue of his eyes and he dropped his lips on hers, shortly kissing her. 

“Rub your clit, baby.” He whispered against her lips. Eden nodded, slipping her hand between their bodies. Jason’s cock moved inside of her, the condom and Eden’s arousal making the glide slick and easy. Her fingers found her nerves, rubbing tight circles as Jason fucked into her again, making her breathing shorter and she bit her lip to keep her moans down.

“Shit.” Eden choked on a moan as she reached her high, and Jason saw it as his cue to finally cum too, burying himself inside of her as he finished inside the condom. 

Eden lazily smiled as her body buzzed in the aftermath of her high, and Jason pressed sloppy kisses into her neck, “Hmm, baby…” He hummed.

They laid together for a bit until Jason pulled out to go clean himself up in the bathroom. Eden stretched her muscles, rolling around the bed a bit. She was still wearing her sport’s bra and reached for her panties to put them back on. As she reached for her shirt, Jason came back into the bedroom, still naked.

He sleepily smiled, “We should take a trip more often if you’re gonna jump me like that.”

Eden bit her lip and chuckled, shrugging her shoulders, “Yeah, ‘s nice here. But please don’t walk around naked, my dad or Colleen won’t appreciate it.”

Jason yawned and nodded, “Yeah, okay. Sorry.” 

Eden’s heart felt warm at his gentle apology and she planted a kiss to his lips, “Go to sleep. I’ll be right there.”

Jason plopped down into the bed as Eden stood in front of her window, her chest tightening just a smidge when she glanced at Harry’s window. His blinds were closed and the lights were off. 

Coming back here brought back all the memories. The first time she saw him through the window and waved at him, and the second time he watched her masturbate. All hell broke loose after that and they had basically been naked for weeks in a row.

And then she left and he ghosted her. And every kind word he ever said to her got drowned by the fact that he never responded when she wished him a good morning. On drunken nights, Eden was glad she blocked his number because she had been on the verge of calling him or sending him angry texts far too often. In the end, she was glad she never gave him the attention. 

Attention he clearly didn’t want anyway. 

The opportunity to go on holiday for free, staying in this house for a few weeks, was just too nice to pass on. Even if Eden could possibly be confronted by Harry. But they were both adults and she’d do her best to avoid him. Besides, she was here with Jason. 

They had only been dating for a few months but he was sweet and soft. And he was nothing like Harry. Harry was stern and dominant. Sometimes he was bossy. Furthermore, he was arrogant and closed-off. Jason was an open book. He confessed his feelings for Eden after only a few dates and it had been smooth sailing ever since. He had hearts in his eyes whenever he looked at her and she’d hardly have to breathe or Jason was ready to move mountains for her.

He was at Eden’s feet, if she was honest. He sweet, gentle and kind. And it brought a sense of freshness after whatever fling she had with Harry. She couldn’t call it a relationship. For it to be anything more than sex, they actually had to talk. And it was something her and Harry never really did. It was as if he always knew they’d end, which is why he never really opened up to her. What was the point in opening up if she’d leave?

Eden vividly remembered him asking her to cancel her flight. But he never asked her to stay, which is why he watched her go. And maybe Eden somehow made a bigger deal of it, but it did pain her when Harry ghosted her. Reflecting back on it, she knew he was toxic. She was a lost puppy for him, drunk on the sex and the way he threw her around and dominated her in the bedroom.

The orgasms Harry gave her were imprinted in her brain. How things were with Jason didn’t come close, but still satisfied her. Jason was gentle as a man, and gentle as a lover. He sometimes did what Eden asked of him, like spank her or choke her, but his heart was never really in it. She did enjoy the way he doted over her when he worried he hurt her. It was sweet. 

Jason was already lightly snoring by the time Eden also crawled in bed. He made room for her, smacking his lips together once as he yanked on her waist to pull her into his chest for the night.

Eden smiled to herself, nuzzling her nose into Jason’s jaw as she drifted off into a sleep.

***

Eden did seriously hope she could avoid Harry for just a little longer. 

It wasn’t much of a coincidence that Eden and Jason chose to take their holiday now - just as her dad and Colleen were going on a trip themselves. They were actually headed back to London to see the rest of the family, and Ron and Colleen had frowned when they realized their trip to London overlapped with Eden’s trip to Italy.

As if she hadn’t planned it that way.

So after just spending one day together at the house, it was the second morning in Italy and Eden’s dad and Colleen were making their bags to head to the airport.

It was Eden’s turn to drive them since there was only one car, and she’d be able to get around in Italy for the weeks they weren’t here. In a sense, Eden and Jason were housesitting. But Eden couldn’t wait for some uninterrupted time with him. They’d lounge around, do groceries, head to the markets and make day trips to the coast. 

Maybe they could rent a boat.

Eden hated how most of the fun things to do here were tainted with the memory of Harry. The market would bring her back to how they flirted so openly, and how Harry often called her from there to ask what she wanted for dinner. Renting a boat would bring her back to them having sex for the first time on the deck. 

To this day, it was the best sex Eden had ever had. 

Harry had been up early, jolting awake after dreaming of the images he saw the night before going to bed. 

Eden going down on that guy in her bedroom.

Part of Harry knew she was bound to return to the house one day. He didn’t have much contact with Ron and Colleen so he never asked them when she was coming back, and he also wasn’t sure if he did or didn’t want to see her again.

But seeing her again - even if it was with someone else - pulled on his heartstrings.

Although, the more he thought about it, the more he felt like she did it on purpose. It wouldn’t be the first time. Last year, she humped that pillow with her blinds open, knowing damn well Harry was watching her masturbate. Maybe she wanted him to see. Maybe she wanted to pay him back for ghosting her and make him jealous. It did seem like Eden to pull a move like that.

He peaked through his window that morning, seeing the car drive off with Eden behind the wheel. Ron was next to her, Colleen in the back. Harry nibbled his lip and leashed his dogs, taking them for a walk. He curiously stared at the house, walking past it maybe a few more times than needed. 

Eventually the door did open as Harry was on the little gravel road in front of the house, a guy popping his head out with a slight frown on his face, “Buongiorno.” He sent Harry an awkward wave, “Can I help you?”

Harry licked his bottom lip, knowing immediately this was the guy Eden had given a blowie two days prior. Sadie wiggled her tail at the sight of another human and the guy’s eyes dropped to Harry’s dogs, offering them a small smile as if to greet them.

Harry wanted to roll his eyes for no good reason. He cleared his throat and waved back, “Hello there. I’m the neighbor.”

“Oh.” The guy smiled, opening the front door wider and clearly dropping the hesitation he had going on earlier, “Hi, nice to meet you. Sorry, I just noticed you walking past the house like seven times, thought maybe you were scoping the surroundings to break in later tonight.” He joked, approaching Harry with an outstretched hand.

Harry forced another smile, somehow not finding it funny. He unenthusiastically shook the guy’s hand, “I’m Harry.”

He thought maybe the mention of his name would spark something with the guy, like Eden had perhaps mentioned him. But he just nodded and shook Harry’s hand, “Jason.” He introduced himself.

A douchebag name.

“So, a fellow Brit, right?” Jason guessed and Harry huffed out a chuckle, “Yeah, the accent’s hard to hide. Hey - uh, is Eden not home?”

Jason’s brows raised, “Eden? No, she’s driving her dad and Colleen to the airport. You must know Ron and Colleen, right?”

“Yeah.” Harry nodded, “I know Eden too.” He hinted again.

Jason slowly nodded, not catching on and Harry shot him a faint grin, secretly enjoying this very much, “She hasn’t mentioned me? We - uh, we actually used to date. Like last year when she was here for the summer.”

Jason’s brows shot up even higher as he stared at Harry, “What? You and Eden?”

“Mhm.” Harry smiled, “Kind of a… summer romance thing.” He casually shrugged, feeling as his dogs circled around his legs. Jason nibbled his lip, as if unsure how to handle that information, “Right. That’s - uh… yeah. No, she hasn’t mentioned you.” He shot Harry a puzzled look, while Harry tried to hide the fact that it pained him that Eden didn’t talk about him.

“How long have you two been together?” Harry asked the dreaded question and Jason’s face lit up a bit, “Few months, like… four.” He counted in his head before offering Harry a smile, “She’s great.”

“Oh, yeah, she’s great.” Harry enunciated the word a little too much for Jason’s liking, who swallowed, “So - yeah, it’s kind of our first trip together. Ron and Colleen are ironically heading back to London for a few weeks to see family, so we’re watching the house.” Jason explained.

Harry wasn’t sure if he had to laugh or cry. A few weeks. A few weeks of Eden being next door, fucking this guy while he was brooding in his living room, pining over a girl he let slip from his hands. He swallowed thickly, “That’s nice.”

A silence fell between them. Harry glanced at Jason, who was looking at Sadie and Lola. He looked younger. Not younger than Eden, but younger than him. His facial hair grew a little patchy and his hair was the type of shaggy that would look awful on Harry because it’d be like him trying to look too young for his age. But Jason got away with it. He was a bit shorter and not as muscular as Harry was. And Harry came to the stupid realization that Jason didn’t particularly look young, but maybe he just looked old.

Harry cleared his throat, “‘M gonna head back inside and let the dogs get their drink in.” He spoke, “Nice meeting you.”

Jason nodded and smiled, “Yeah, you too, man. If you ever need someone to watch the dogs or something… E and I would be more than happy.”

E.

Harry wanted to roll his eyes and knock Jason’s teeth out, but settled on a forced smile, “I’ll keep it in mind. Thanks.”

When Eden came back a few hours later, she felt butterflies in her stomach. Completely ignoring Harry’s house, she pulled up in the driveway of the house her and Jason would call home for a few weeks. She nearly jumped out of the car to head inside, finding Jason in the kitchen with a wide grin and immediately opening his arms for Eden to jump in them. She squealed in his ear, “Finally alone.” She whispered against his lips.

Jason kissed her lips, holding her up below her thighs, “Did everything go okay?” He checked and Eden nodded, “Mhm. I’m so glad we have the car though. We can take little day trips.” Eden stroked her fingers through Jason’s hair, “Like… go to the beach, or a winery…” She mused out loud.

Jason smiled and kissed her again, “Sounds amazing.” He let her down on her feet again, “Hey, by the way, I met the neighbor.”

Eden’s head flipped quickly, staring at him, “What?”

“Yeah, Harry.” Jason leaned back against the counter, “He - uh… he said you two used to date. Like… last year.”

Eden nibbled her lip, her stomach feeling tight at the idea that Harry and Jason talked. She swallowed, “We didn’t date.” She shrugged, “We just slept together. I was here for a few weeks after graduation and I left when I got the job offer.”

Jason slowly nodded, “Right.”

“We tried to keep in touch.” Eden continued, “Like we texted and called. And then he ghosted me.” She shrugged before nibbling her lip again, “I told you about the guy I was getting over, right? When we met?”

“Mhm, you did.” Jason didn’t seem at all angry or jealous, he was simply curious. Eden also knew he’d never lash out against her. She was pretty sure she could cheat on him and he’d still forgive her, that’s how much he liked her and how gentle he was. Eden nodded too, “Well, that was him.”

“Okay.” Jason nodded again, “I mean, that’s fine, right? He’s just a guy.” Jason shrugged, “He just… I don’t know, he looked a little old.” He chuckled.

Eden smiled too, “He’s not that old.” She shook his head, “Like… early thirties, I’m pretty sure.”

“And are you still like… I don’t know, into him?” Jason checked. Eden dropped her eyes, “I mean, I was hurt when it ended. It only did last a few weeks, but it was intense. It felt vulnerable.” She tried to explain, “But no, I don’t have any hard feelings towards him. Like you said, he’s just a guy. I wouldn’t even classify him as an ex, it was never anything official and I was never his girlfriend. We… we barely talked.”

Jason gently stroked Eden’s arm, “But he did mean something to you.”

“Yeah.” She shrugged and Jason nodded, “Well, he seemed nice.” He settled on saying. 

“I mean, now it feels kind of weird.” Eden mumbled, “Like he’s next door and I’m here and we haven’t spoken in like… eight months. And he’s talked to you but not me.” She wondered out loud, “Maybe I should just go say hi really quick.”

Jason pressed his lips together but forced Eden a smile, not having the heart to disagree with her, “Yeah, if you want to.” He shrugged, “You could.”

Eden nervously fiddled with her fingers, “Right.” She made attempts to get up from the couch, “I’ll just be a few minutes.”

Jason opened his mouth but didn’t say anything, just nodded as Eden exited the house and walked into the warm evening air of Italy. The small stones crunched underneath her slippers as she made her way over to the familiar house that was Harry’s.

She couldn’t keep count of the amount of times she had done this little walk. Sneaking out at night to go sleep at his place. She jumped his fence often, hid in the bushes, took the back entrance. But now, it felt formal. So Eden rolled her lips inside of her mouth and shakily raised her hand to ring his bell.

Eden didn’t know why she was nervous. It was like Jason said, Harry was just a guy. A guy she had feelings for, a guy who hurt her. But a guy who told her it was never that deep and Eden knew from the get-go not to get her hopes up. But time and romance were a cruel combination, and the feelings snuck up on her.

Sure, she was the one who left. And Eden only did realize how much she missed him once she was back in London. Harry couldn’t be persuaded to visit her and he never asked her to come back to Italy. And that was that.

Lola and Sadie both lifted their heads when someone rang the bell late in the evening. Harry had returned from walking them and was watching some Italian game show as he laid on the leather couch with the fan blowing full speed to keep them a little cool. 

He ran a hand through his hair and frowned, gently nudging Sadie off as his bare feet hit the cold tiles and he walked over to the front door. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but somehow the sight of Eden didn’t completely surprise him.

She peered up at him and he blinked, hit with every memory of her in front of his door. The playful smile was replaced with a nervous one, and she didn’t jump into his arms for them to stumble inside the house this time, rather had her hands locked behind her back as she nervously shifted on her feet.

“Uh - hi.” He mumbled, his chest pounding as Eden swallowed, “Hey. I - uh… Jason said you spoke to him. Thought I’d come say hi.” She shrugged.

“Jason.” Harry nodded, opening the door a bit wider, “Yeah.” He then let out a sharp breath, shaking his head, “It’s… it’s good to see you.”

Eden wanted to roll her eyes but settled on another small smile, “Mhm. You too.” She had questions burning on her tongue but swallowed them all back. She didn’t want to give Harry the satisfaction. Her eyes glanced inside the house longingly. She did always love this house. 

She remembered the paint stains on her skin after transforming that horrendous gray wall in the hallway. Eden wondered if her plants got taken care of once she left, or if Harry let them wilt and die.

A gentle bark from inside the house made her brows raise and a small smile played on her lips. Harry glanced over his shoulder before clearing his throat, “You wanna see the dogs?” He questioned.

Eden knew it was dangerous territory to get inside of his house. Harry was charismatic and somehow had such a huge amount of power over her, Eden found it hard to explain. She had her boyfriend next door and was supposed to only quickly say hi to Harry to avoid any awkwardness later on - but she found herself nodding at his question, “Sure.”

Harry opened the door wider, biting his lip when Eden brushed past him and into the house. She wasn’t hesitant when rounding corners and she moved through the furniture almost blindly. The smell of her perfume lingering behind her felt overwhelming to Harry, who leaned against the doorpost as he watched a brightly smiling Eden crouch down to greet Lola.

Both dogs excitedly wagged their tails and circled around Eden, booping her over and over again as she giggled, “Hi, girls.” She whispered, “Hi. Did you miss me?” She spoke in a little baby voice and Harry couldn’t stop the smile from spreading on his lips, “I think they did.”

Eden flicked her eyes to the side, swallowing as Harry watched her. She got up her feet again and Harry cleared his throat, “Sadie got sick actually, yesterday. She licked a bar of soap and started throwing up. Took her to the vet.” He wasn’t sure why he told that random story, maybe to break the silence. It felt nerve-wracking to have Eden in the room with him. 

There was tension. He wanted to walk up to her and kiss her and drag her upstairs to claim her again, but Eden had her guard up. He could sense it from a fucking mile away. 

“Right.” She breathed, swallowing away the lump in her throat. Eden glanced to the side to see the dead plants. Her fingers trembled a bit but she tried to play it so fucking cool. Harry didn’t deserve to see her suffer. It was almost as if Eden didn’t realize how hurt and angry she actually was until she saw him. Until he acted so fucking casual.

“You wanna drink something?” He suggested, breaking the silence.

Eden wanted to laugh. She shook her head before tilting it to the side, “Think a glass of wine will get me back in your bed?”

Harry’s brows raised at her blunt words. He knew Eden didn’t bite her tongue. He knew she was sharp and witty and always had a response. His shoulders tensed a bit, “No.” He mumbled, “That’s not… that’s not what I was trying to do.” It was.

Eden huffed softly, “Right.”

Harry frowned a little, “Is there… do you have some problem with me?”

“Me?” Eden raised her brows, “Nope.” She lied, “Look, I just wanted to come over and say hi. It felt weird that you spoke to Jason before speaking to me.” She tried to exit the house again but Harry blocked her and Eden had a fiery look in her eyes as she looked up at him, “I’d really like for you to leave us alone.”

Fuck, Eden tried to keep her cool but she couldn’t. She was two seconds away from completely exploding. All the emotions she had tucked away for months in a row, came back in full force. She never got to tell him. She never told him how it felt for her, how she coped, how she hurt. Harry had no fucking clue.

Harry gave her a puzzled look. He almost wasn’t sure if she was joking or not, “I-I am. Leaving you alone.” He shrugged, “You came knocking on my door.” It was childish and he knew it and Eden rolled her eyes. His chest tightened. He loved it when she did that. When she got so fucking bratty. Usually she did it because she was so passionate about a certain topic they got into a heated discussion.

Harry loved riling her up just for the sake of punishing her later on. And Eden loved it too. It was a bit of a toxic game they had going on. But now, Eden was pissed. 

“You chose your moment, hm?” She challenged, “Searching for Jason while I wasn’t there.”

“I was walking my fucking dogs, Eden.” Harry gritted through his teeth. God, he didn’t expect it to turn out this way, “Public street.”

“Should I have thrown pebbles at your window the evening you arrived, hm? While you were blowing that twat?!” The words were out before he realized it and Eden’s eyes widened in surprise. Her cheeks turned hot as she took a step back, “What?!”

Harry clenched his jaw and bit his tongue as he grumbled under his breath and Eden huffed out sharply, “Fucking hell - you saw me?!”

“Close your blinds!”

Eden gasped, “Then don’t fucking look! Oh my god!” She shook her head in disbelief, “You fucking pervert.”

Harry put his hands on his hips as he exhaled sharp breaths, swallowing, “I-I couldn’t not look. You were right there. I didn’t expect to fucking see you.”

Eden balled her fists, refraining herself from shoving him, “You have lost your fucking rights to spy on me through my window, Harry.” She bitterly spoke, “And I honestly didn’t think you’d even care.” She added the final bit in a mumble. 

Harry closed his jaw, lowering his gaze, “Why would I not care?”

“Because you fucking ghosted me.” Eden’s voice dangerously wobbled and she recomposed herself, taking a deep breath, “You don’t have the right.” She spoke, shaking her head, “Just… leave me and my boyfriend alone.”

She brushed past him this time, knocking her shoulder into Harry’s arm as she left the house. Eden ignored the whining of his dogs and only let a few tears fall once she was out on the street. Her heart hammered and she was crying out of sheer, sheer frustration.

The fucking nerve he had.

Eden hadn’t even thought twice when leaving the blinds open as she was on her knees for Jason. Her thoughts weren’t with Harry, but with her boyfriend. And he watched her. He couldn’t have seen much, but it felt too intimate for Eden. He was too close, again.

She felt vile, knowing Harry had watched her. It struck a nerve with her, but Eden felt just a tad bit better about herself when she realized it apparently struck a nerve with Harry too. He sounded jealous. And Eden knew it sounded petty, but she was kind of glad she could hurt him back, even if it was in the worst way.

Her rage died down once Eden walked back into the house to find a smiling Jason on the couch, “Hey.” He got up his feet, “How’d it go?”

“Fine.” Eden breathed before she pressed a small kiss to his lips, “He won’t bother us.”

Jason had a puzzled look in his face as his thumb stroked the nape of Eden’s neck. He looked like he wanted to ask more, but didn’t. Eden closed her eyes and kissed him again, determined to turn this into a great vacation with her boyfriend.

***

Harry felt miserable.

He peered out his front window, Lola circling around his leg as he held the toy he had throwing back and forth for her, in his hand.

His eyes were on Eden and Jason, who were loading up the car for another little day trip.

He heard Eden’s playful giggle and it made his skin crawl. The wind played with the short hem of her sundress and even got a glimpse of her underwear as she lifted her arms to pull Jason in for a kiss.

His stomach turned watching her be so happy with someone else. Jason gently patted her ass, whereas Harry would’ve grabbed it. Jason’s hand rested on the nape of Eden’s neck as she got behind the wheel to drive, whereas Harry’s hand would’ve been between her thighs to tease her during the drive.

And so Harry had a crisis that day. An existential crisis.

In all his impulsivity, he even looked up apartments or houses in London. He closed the website again after about thirty minutes, telling himself he was being ridiculous. Uprooting his life for a girl who was taken and told him to leave her alone? Pathetic.

He got back to scrolling on the dating apps but that lasted for just a few minutes. His mind constantly drifted to Eden. How she made him feel so light. He had to get used to her bubbly, bratty personality. But Eden was a sweetheart and she’d walk through fire for the people she cared about. She was passionate, fiery, and unapologetically honest. 

And he was a fucking coward.

He let her slip away. Eden presented herself on a silver platter for him but Harry turned her down. And he fucking missed her so much. His life had been so dull without her. Harry had always liked being alone. His life here was secluded. He had a few friends who came to stay every once in a while, but lost touch with a lot of people he left behind in Britain. Harry wasn’t… the best at keeping in touch. Contact just fizzled out, friendships disappeared. 

He was close to his mum but didn’t see her a lot. His sister called sometimes but she had a family and was busy. Harry didn’t have an important ex-wife or kids, so he was just by himself a lot. And it had never felt as lonely as it did when he watched Eden drive away with Jason and not him.

He swallowed thickly, reminded of the little getaways they did the year before. Eden in the passenger seat, kissing on his neck and unbuttoning his shirt as the wind played with her hair and she whispered things in his ear, so filthy to the point Harry pulled over on a remote road and yanked her on his lap for a quickie. 

They had fun, last summer. Once the elastic snapped, they had fun like Harry had never had before. And he fooled himself into thinking it was just sex. It wasn’t.

Harry knew he could either walk around, brooding all day, or he could do something. And so he opened up the dating app again and texted back one of the women who tried to hit him up over the past few weeks. 

She was Italian and beautiful, and responded right away, agreeing to a date that same evening. Harry tried to ease his mind, knowing he’d have company tonight. Who knew, she could be the love of his life.

It’s what he told himself when he drove off into town to meet up with her. And low and behold, the date was fun. Fun enough that she agreed to come back to his place afterwards for a drink and to meet his dogs.

Eden felt alerted when she heard the engines pulling up on the road as her and Jason laid in bed watching a movie. The window was open for fresh air and his fingers played with her hair as they watched a very pixelated version of some action movie that Jason wanted to see. Eden had to admit she dozed off every once in a while.

She felt like toast after lounging on the beach today, and surprisingly, the doing nothing tired her out. 

Eden yawned as she got up, frowning slightly when she noticed two cars pulling up into Harry’s driveway. She recognized his cabrio but the white car next to his was unknown to her. Her stomach dropped into her ass when she saw a beautiful brunette walking out. Harry had a charming smile on his lips as he guided her towards the front door.

“Everything okay?” Jason checked. Eden swallowed, “Mhm.” She smiled, “Everything’s fine.”

She felt hot, opening up the window all the way in hopes of cooling down a bit. Harry brought home another woman. Eden tried not to think of how often that had probably happened in the past year. Perhaps he even did it while they were still calling and texting.

Hiking her leg up over Jason’s hips, Eden peppered gentle kisses over his jaw. He raised his brows as he turned his head with a knowing smirk, and Eden bit her lip before their lips met and the movie was forgotten.

“And this is my bedroom.” Harry spoke in Italian as he guided the woman through his house. Eva was gorgeous and she smiled as her heeled feet took her through his bedroom, inspecting some of the books on his tv-stand, “Hai una bella casa.” She complimented.

He smiled and nodded, “Sì, mi piace qui.”

His eye caught the brightness in Eden’s bedroom through his window, and he softly cleared his throat as he walked up to Eva. She didn’t seem very surprised when he put his hands on her hips and nudged her back into the windowsill. The breeze played with her hair, Harry’s window on a crack.

He tested the waters, nerves creeping up in his body. He hadn’t done this in a while. His nose bumped Eva’s before he carefully kissed her. She reciprocated easily, fingers sliding up his shoulders as their lips touched.

She leaned back against the windowsill as the kiss slowly grew a bit heavier, and then Harry froze.

Because he heard it. He heard her. A soft moan filled his ear and it came from a distance. It came from Eden. His eyes snapped open and his body went rigid, alerting Eva. She frowned a little bit in confusion, “Tutto ok?” She asked and Harry quickly nodded, clearing his throat before he kissed her again.

He knew the way Eden sounded. He knew she wasn’t particularly loud, she wasn’t a screamer. Harry knew these were the sounds she made when she was enjoying herself. And it was Jason’s doing, not his. The only salvation he felt was knowing she used to be noisier with him. She used to gasp and sob and whimper, which she didn’t do now. Eden softly moaned and Harry kept his eyes on the window as he kissed Eva. Part of him expected Eden to pop up in front of her window any moment now, but he saw nothing but shadows on the walls.

He imagined her on her back with her legs locked around Jason’s head as he had his tongue on her. 

Harry sighed out through his nose, deepening the kiss with Eva and attempting to block out Eden’s moans. But he couldn’t stop listening either. How fucking convenient that Eden left her window wide open while she was fucking her boyfriend.

Almost too convenient, right? Harry couldn’t help but think she did it on purpose to get a rise out of him. Wanting him to leave her alone and then pulling this move.

A shaky squeak escaped Eden and Harry’s hand grabbed Eva’s ass, pushing his hips against hers. Eva moaned out and their kiss broke shortly, “Shh.” Harry shushed her, resuming their kissing. He needed Eva quiet so he could hear Eden.

And he heard her. He heard her giggling, the shadows on the walls moving and he heard the unmistakable creak of the bed. He heard the familiar gasp she let out when she got filled, and Harry’s stomach turned when he knew Jason was inside of her. 

It was confirmed when he heard skin slapping against skin, Eden’s delicate whimpers accompanied by panting breaths from the guy fucking her.

Harry’s fingers dug into Eva’s skin as he only kissed her harder and harder, and his bulge grew and pressed into the soft of her covered tummy. But it wasn’t due to her. Sure, she was beautiful, she was nice and they had fun. But listening to Eden moaning so sweetly made Harry have a physical reaction he didn’t expect. 

He was even scared to blink, so desperate to get a glimpse of Eden, to know what she was doing, to know how her face scrunched up or how her eyes watered or how she bit her lip.

Her moans grew a bit higher and sharper and Harry groaned under his breath, the sound swallowed by Eva when Eden unmistakably came.

It was Eva this time who pulled away, her cheeks a bit pink. She let out an uncomfortable chuckle and glanced over her shoulder to Eden’s open window, “È un po’ inquietante, non è vero?” She commented on the noises coming out of Eden’s room.

Harry swallowed, his hard-on trapped in his pants and his breathing came out in sharp puffs. He felt sick. “Mi dispiace.” He murmured the apology as he let go of Eva and took a few steps back. Harry ran a hand through his hair, “I can’t do this. N-Non posso farlo.”

Eva looked at him in confusion but Harry sat down on the edge of his bed, burying his face in his hands. It was quiet for a few minutes until Eva’s footsteps walked past him and then downstairs. He stayed in his bedroom until the front door slammed and he heard her engine.

And he was alone again. He sniffled once in misery, lifting his head as he ran his hands over his face and tiredly got up his feet. Standing in front of his window to close it, he glanced up to see Eden. She didn’t notice him, one hand holding the sheet around her chest to cover herself up and her other hand grabbing the handle of the window to close it.

Their eyes locked as both went to close their window and Eden froze for a moment, seeing the pained look in Harry’s face. Her cheeks flushed at the thought he might’ve heard or seen something. Without giving him another glance, Eden closed the window and closed the blinds.

It was safe to say Harry still felt miserable the next day. He was sure Eden would think it was too convenient that he went on a jog the same moment she did. She stepped outside early in the morning the next day, wearing a sport’s bra and shorts to brave the heat even that early on in the day.

Glancing to her side, Harry also left his house, wearing a tanktop and shorts. He had a clip in his hair and headphones on, glancing to his side to see her looking back at him. Eden rolled her eyes and shook her head. Tightening her ponytail, she started her jog and ran past him without giving him a look. Going down the hill, Harry pressed his lips together before he followed behind her.

He tried to keep a distance, but he was still running rather close to her. And Eden felt agitated. About halfway down the hill, she briskly turned around while panting, “Will you stop that?!” She snapped.

Harry frowned as he yanked the headphones off, “What?” He hadn’t heard her through the music.

“Running right behind me.” Eden clarified, “Will you stop that?”

Harry huffed, “Look, I’m just going for a jog.” He shrugged, “Great minds think alike, I suppose.”

“You said you’d leave me alone.” Eden ran the back of her hand over her forehead to get rid of the sweat pearling at her hairline. The early sun lit her up, midriff heaving from the jog she had done thus far. Harry panted too, scoffing, “I am leaving you alone. But it’s a bit hard when I can’t go to sleep without hearing you getting fucked by your twat of a boyfriend.” He bit.

Eden’s lips pressed together, “That… Look, I’m sorry. I-I forgot about the window.”

“Sure.” Harry sneered, exhaling a humorless laugh. He felt blazing fire in his chest all of a sudden, so done with Eden’s allegations, “Like last year, hm? When you humped a pillow and pretended you didn’t want me to see you?”

“Stop.” Eden frowned, shaking her head, “Don’t bring that up, that was a long time ago. Look, I apologized. It won’t happen again.”

“Just admit that you were trying to make me jealous.”

It was Eden’s turn to let out a bitter cackle, “Excuse me?! I’d say you’re the one making me jealous, bringing home that woman.”

Harry felt a flash of pride welling up inside him that Eden noticed that. He fought the grin on his lips and instead bit his tongue. Eden glared at him, “Besides, why the fuck would I want to make you jealous?! You skipped me, remember?”

Harry shook his head to himself and silence fell between them. Eden swallowed, crossing her arms in front of her chest, “I’m with someone else now. You don’t have… a claim over me anymore.”

“I miss you.”

Eden’s eyes widened and Harry’s shoulders dropped when the truth was finally out. After over a week of pining over her, here he was, spilling it all. He swallowed and shrugged, “I fucking miss you, Eden. I missed you. I-I was an idiot. And now you’re here and I know you missed me too, a-and I just want to go back what we were before.”

“And what exactly were we before?” Eden tried to keep her voice stern but it cracked as she challenged him with the question. Harry pressed his lips together, staring at his feet for a moment, “Just… us, I guess.”

Eden wanted to sigh at the words, because to her - they didn’t mean anything.

“I have a boyfriend.” She spoke. It was a weak defense and Harry huffed, “Yeah, I know.”

“Jason is sweet. He… He’s good to me.”

Harry chewed the inside of his cheek, “So he’s a doormat? Jesus, Eden - I know what it is you need, and it’s not sweet.”

Eden shook her head, “You don’t know.”

“I do.”

She sharply flicked her eyes up, “You don’t. Stop saying that.”

Harry’s lip twitched up in a little smirk, “See? There she is.” He took a step closer to her and Eden wanted to sink down her knees when Harry had to hardly use three words to get her wet and worked-up for him. She didn’t even know what it was, just his… demeanor. The way he carried himself. He was an asshole but she couldn’t help being so turned on by him.

Harry’s fingertip brushed her brow bone and Eden held her breath as Harry cooed her, “Feisty girl, hm? You’re a brat, Eden. You wanna be put in place, you need it. You crave it.”

Eden pressed her lips together as Harry stepped even closer to her, dick coming to life in his pants when he could see every detail on her face. The darkness in her eyes, the freckles on her nose, the piercing scar at the top of her ear, the drop of sweat running down her chest. God, he wanted to lick it up. He swallowed thickly, “He’s too sweet, Eden. You don’t want sweet. You want a challenge. You like the chase, you like the fight. Must be boring, hm? To be with someone who gives in so easily? I bet he kisses the ground you walk on.”

Eden’s shoulders tensed as Harry’s fingers trailed down the side of her neck and followed the shape of her sport’s bra down the swells of her breasts. Goosebumps rose over her skin as he near tickled her, and Eden didn’t move even an inch.

Harry fought his smirk at the reaction her body gave him. She was almost trembling. 

“And I did too. I just made you work for it.” He mumbled.

“I followed you around like a puppy.” Eden exhaled, swallowing and Harry hummed, “And now he follows you around like a puppy. How’s it feel, having a pussy sub for a boyfriend?” And Harry knew he took it too far. Eden frowned and took a step back, his touch disappearing, “H-He’s not -”

“He’s not?” Harry raised his brows, “I heard you yesterday, Eden. Don’t lie to me. I could tell you were having a good time but…” He stepped closer again, “I didn’t hear you whining, or sobbing. I didn’t hear spanking or spitting or slapping.” He listed. Eden lowered her eyes but Harry grabbed her chin, forcing her to stare up at him. She held her breath, feeling so dizzy with him this close, “He’s a fucking boy, Eden.” Harry whispered, “Thought you said you needed a real man?”

Eden’s brain turned foggy. She wanted to kiss him so bad. And drag him in the bushes and ride him until she passed out. The sexual tension between them was unmatched. It had been from the get-go. From the first time they spoke to each other with the barrier of the garden fence between them.

Harry’s voice dropped to a whisper, “I think he’s merely dipping his toe in the garden of Eden, isn’t he?” His tone was velvety smooth and Eden fought for a breath. She nearly leaned in and Harry noticed, letting go of her chin yet gently wrapping his hand around her throat, “Place of pleasure and delight.” He crooned, “And fuck, it is. And I wanna drown in it.”

Use me, Eden wanted to scream. Her body was frozen and Harry wouldn’t act on it without her consent, so with a small bump of his nose against her and a very uncomfortable stiffy in his running shorts, he increased the distance between them again.

Eden was grateful for the hand around her throat, Harry almost holding her up or she’d be a puddle on the floor.

“Come by tonight.” Harry gave her throat a gentle squeeze, making Eden softly gasp as her eyes fluttered. Her pussy clenched around nothing and she dryly swallowed, straightening up a bit. Harry let go of her throat and Eden took a breath, “I-I have a boyfriend.” She repeated.

Harry smirked, “Didn’t I tell you to bring him?”

***

“A threesome?” Jason frowned at Eden.

Eden stood in front of the couch with her hands on her hips. She had a towel around her form, having just gotten out of the shower after her run. She found Jason downstairs, scrolling on his phone as the coffee ran in the kitchen.

She exhaled and adjusted the towel around her chest, “It’s…” She sat down next to him, scooting close, “You don’t have to agree. You can say no.”

Jason didn’t respond right away, the frown staying on his forehead and Eden nibbled her lip, hair dripping down her shoulders, “He suggested it and told me to ask you. So… here I am. But I promise, if you’re not into it, you can say no. I won’t mind.”

Jason warily glanced at her, “And you won’t go fuck him behind my back?” He softly asked. Eden pressed her lips together and shook her head, “No. Promise.”

He dropped his head back into the couch, “I mean, I’ve done it before.” He mumbled and Eden scooted closer still, “So have I.”

“I just… I don’t know him? And he’s your ex.”

“Not my ex.” She slightly corrected him, finding it an important nuance that her and Harry were never boyfriend and girlfriend. Jason swallowed as he looked at Eden, “You know I’m not the jealous type, Eden. I-I’m not sure what the meaning is behind this.”

“I’m not trying to make you jealous.” She frowned, placing her hand on his thigh soothingly. Was that his worry? That he wouldn’t freak out when Harry was inside of her? Eden didn’t expect him to. She nibbled her lip again, “There’s not really a meaning behind this. Sex with Harry was really good and it’d just be that for the three of us - sex.”

Jason seemed lost in thought, “I mean, I’m open to it. I’ve never done it with one of the people involved being my partner.” He admitted, “It’s always been friends or strangers, makes it less… complicated.”

“I get that.” Eden nodded.

“I mean, you’re my girlfriend and he’s a guy I’ve spoken to only once. Not to mention he’s ten years older.”

Eden swallowed, “He’s not like… a predator or anything.”

“No, I know.” Jason mumbled before he locked eyes with Eden again, “So he basically wants to sleep with you, but since you’re taken… I’m the bonus?” He had a slightly joking hint to his tone and Eden’s lips curled up into a smile as she chuckled, “Basically, yeah.”

Jason shakily exhaled, shaking his head softly, “Don’t know how you all put us under your spell, E. Seriously.”

Eden’s chest fluttered when she felt Jason giving in. He flicked his eyes up to her again, “I’m not just an extra bonus for you, am I? I won’t just be there for shits and giggles?”

“No.” Eden immediately shook her head, “I promise.” She scooted even closer, “I like you so much, Jason. You’re so sweet.” Her hand cupped his jaw, much like Harry had done to her during their jog. Eden had no idea that going for a run in the morning would turn to this. An altercation with Harry, him basically making her cum with just a brush of his fingers over her skin, and her asking Jason if he’s down for a threesome.

“You’d both be there for me.” She whispered softly. Jason’s lip twitched up in a small grin, “Yeah?”

“Mhm.”

Jason turned to face Eden, “So, what’s he like?” He curiously asked, “Like… I’m more of a sub, I think. Like you said, I’m sweet. A-And I think you know that I’m sweet in every sense of the word.” He murmured.

Eden shot him a small smile, “I’m sure Harry can dominate enough for the three of us.”

Jason shot her a faint smile and then nodded, “Okay. If you’re comfortable with the two of us, I am too.”

“Don’t just do it for me.” Eden exhaled and Jason chuckled, “I’m not. You know I’m open to that. We’re a couple, but we’re open with each other. I’m cool with it.”

Eden bit her lip and bashfully smiled, her skin heating at the thought. Harry, Jason and her. She hated how her thoughts immediately drifted to Harry. God, he could get her off with the flick of his thumb over her clit. She was reminded of that one time he did nothing but rub circles on her clit while whispering dirty Italian talk in her ear. She came so hard she almost passed out.

A shudder wrecked her body and Jason cocked up a brow, huffing out a chuckle, “I take it you’re cool with it too.”

“Yeah.” Eden giggled, leaning in to press a chaste kiss to his lips, “And about not really knowing him… Harry invited us to spend the day around his pool.” She softly shrugged.

Jason raised his brows, “Really? That’s nice.”

“Hm.” Eden nodded, “So… I’d say we have breakfast and get ready, and then we can head over.” She shrugged softly. Jason smiled and nodded, squeezing her thigh, “Sounds good.”

Harry was in the house next door, pacing around his kitchen. The heads of Sadie and Lola followed his every move as he had his hands in his hair, wondering what the fuck he had just done. He wanted Eden so bad. So fucking pathetically bad that he’d willingly bring her boyfriend in the mix.

Harry was no stranger to a threesome or an adventurous night with a man. He had done it before, he was quite fluid in that department, but he had never done that with someone he had feelings for.

He just knew it’d be worth it, but he was being blinded by lust. And that lust was just the top layer, while there was so much more underneath that. An array of feelings for Eden. So strong and romantic his heart pulsed in his chest at the thought of her smile. 

Harry didn’t know what kind of guy Jason was. He was good-looking, obviously. And Eden said he was sweet. Too sweet for her, Harry thought. But that wasn’t his problem. Eden would very soon figure out that Jason was not what she wanted at all. But Harry just needed a chance to show her. If his feelings about Jason were correct, he’d agree to a threesome just to make Eden happy.

He followed her around, just like Eden followed Harry around. It pained him when she said that, because even though that was their dynamic at first, Harry could argue that Eden had way more power over him than the other way around. And he didn’t necessarily want this power either. Maybe in their sex life, it was a fun dynamic, but in real life, he wanted to be equals. Partners.

“Jesus.” Harry mumbled to himself when he realized how fucking whipped he sounded. But he was past that point. He was past fooling his brain that he was doing himself a favor by ghosting her. He craved her like a flower craving a drop of rain. And she was so close.

He wasn’t entirely surprised when the door rang about an hour later. Harry had been lounging around in swimming shorts and a linen shirt, bucket hat on his head to protect himself from the sun as the dogs were outside in the shade.

Opening the front door, he was met with Eden in a white, flowy dress and Jason standing behind her and sending him a slightly nervous smile.

“Hi.” Eden breathed, glancing at Jason over her shoulder, “We - uh… we’re here.”

“I can see that.” Harry chuckled, even if his heart beat overtime. He opened up the door wider, “Come on in.”

Eden strutted past him as Jason made a small stop, shaking Harry’s hand in a greeting, “Hey, man.”

“Hey, make yourself at home.” Harry nodded. Eden was right. Jason was kind. He could see it throughout the afternoon. Jason doted over Eden like no one else. They constantly laid whispering and giggling together while Harry observed. Whenever Eden took a dip in the pool, Jason came with her. He carried her around the water as she had her thighs locked around his hips and they exchanged kisses.

And Harry couldn’t remember why he thought this was a good idea. A raging pit of jealousy had nestled itself in his tummy as he watched the pair. His Eden. It had been another thing to hear her getting fucked, but it was another level of painful to see her be so romantic with someone that wasn’t him.

Eden insisted on making them a little lunch. Harry wasn’t worried when Eden claimed to know where everything in the kitchen was. Him and Jason stayed outside on the sunbeds as the crickets filled the silence and the sun was high up in the air.

“So…” Jason broke the silence and Harry softly opened his eyes that had dropped close, almost dozing off into a nap. He turned his head to see Jason, a small smirk on his lips, “So.” Harry mimicked.

Jason chuckled, “You and me and Eden, huh?”

“It appears so.” Harry nodded with a smirk. Jason exhaled a breath, “Are you comfortable with that?”

“I am.” Harry spoke without missing a beat, “Are you?”

“Yep.”

Harry pressed his lips together, just a small part of him wishing Jason would back out. “I mean, I think we’d both be there for Eden.”

“Yeah, I think so too.” Jason agreed, “I’m not sure if we’re… you know.”

“Well, I for sure wouldn’t mind.” Harry wasn’t lying and Jason smirked back, “Neither would I.”

But then, Eden reappeared from inside. She wore a dark green two-piece and immediately, both men stared at her, no longer having any interest in one another. Eden felt stupidly gorgeous as they both gawked at her. She made it into a little show, putting the plates down while pressing her tits together and arching her back.

“No drooling.” She teased cheekily. Jason chuckled and Harry licked his lip, “You look delicious.”

“What?”

“The food.” He corrected himself with a smirk, “The food looks delicious. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Eden winked and Harry’s stomach did a flip. He despised himself.

The three of them ate and Eden then took another dip in the pool. When Harry glanced at Jason to see that he was not following her in, the two of them locked eyes. Jason gave him the smallest of nods and Harry swallowed, shrugging off his linen shirt before following Eden into the pool after silently receiving Jason’s permission.

Eden resurfaced after diving in, seeing Harry make his way down the steps. The breath got knocked out of her lungs at the sight of his chiseled, tattooed body. He was so gorgeous she felt her pussy clenching around nothing. Every inch of his body brought back memories.

His mouth, his fingers, his thighs. The fucking tiger tattoo. The butterfly that was covered in her arousal more times than she could count. His neck that used to be littered in hickeys. His hair that she loved to pull when he had his tongue between her thighs. 

Eden exhaled a shaky breath as Harry took a small dive and resurfaced, pushing his wet hair away from his forehead. His smirk made her want to moan and Eden stayed still in the shallow end, the water reaching below her breasts as Harry swam over to her.

“Think you need another layer of sunscreen.” He rasped, eyes drawn to her chest, “You’re looking a little burned.”

“Oh.” Eden glanced down too before nodding, “Yeah, maybe.”

Harry and her stared at one another for a bit, both aware of Jason’s eyes on them. Eden took a breath, “Thank you for letting us stay over today.”

“That’s fine. I love having you in my house.” Harry shrugged.

Eden nibbled her lip, “Harry… what today is, and what tonight will be… it doesn’t change anything, okay? It’s just sex.”

“Yeah.” He lied, “Just sex.”

Eden narrowed her eyes, “I mean it.”

Harry huffed out a chuckle, “Me too.” He swam closer to her, both in the shallow end of the pool now. His hands easily found her underneath the surface of the water and Eden choked on a breath when his hands were around her midsection to easily tug her into his body. 

She trembled, goosebumps rising over her skin. She hadn’t been touched by him in so long. Large hands easily knew their way around her form as Harry spun her around, her back pressed to his chest. Her hands found the edge of the pool as she stared into Jason’s eyes, Harry standing behind her.

His nose ran along her shoulder, “So tonight…” He murmured.

“Mhm.” Eden swallowed, “Tonight.”

She shuddered when Harry pressed a kiss so light to her shoulder she could’ve imagined it. Jason watched along as Harry pressed Eden a bit further into the side of the pool, dick hardening in his swimming shorts and pressing against her ass.

“How do you still like it?” Harry whispered.

Eden leaned back into him as she panted out, “L-Like I used to.”

“Yeah?” His voice dripped honey. His hands circled around her tummy and Eden arched as Harry kissed the side of her neck, “You still like it when I’m so deep inside you it almost hurts?”

“Shit.” Eden whimpered, leaning back further into him, head dropping down onto his shoulder. She kept her eyes locked with Jason’s, who watched the interaction. Harry glanced at him too, “Is he as big as me?”

“No.” She breathed. Harry hummed, “Shame. Does he get to fuck your ass?”

Eden swallowed, “Uh-huh.”

“Does he slap you? Bite you? Spank you? Choke you?” Harry’s one hand moved up to her throat and Eden’s eyes rolled back. His hips pushed against her ass, grinding his erection against her. This was a fucking dream, Harry thought. This couldn’t be real. 

Eden fought for a breath, “W-When I ask him to.”

“Shame again.” Harry whispered, “No need to worry, baby. I know just how you like it. Does he make you squirt?”

No. Eden wanted to say but she nibbled her lip, “Sometimes.”

“Ragazza dolce.” Harry murmured. It sounded sweet, but it had a condescending tone. He smirked against her skin, “Lying for him… you must really like him, hm?”

Eden sighed out, turning her head slightly. Harry pressed a kiss to her temple, “Missed you so fucking much. No one feels like you do.”

Her knuckles turned white as they gripped the edge of the pool, water sploshing around them. Harry’s lips feathered down the column of her throat and over her sunkissed shoulder, “Can’t want to be inside you tonight. Feel you cream and squirt all over me, fucking hell.” He rutted his hips forward tonight.

“Where do you want me tonight, hm?” Harry rasped, his hand released her throat as it slipped down her abdomen. Eden’s eyes shot open, her tummy clenching as his fingers found the waistband of her bikini bottoms underneath the water. Harry’s breathing puffed against her skin as he wanted to cup her cunt underneath the water, but Eden’s hand tightly clasped around his wrist before he could touch her.

She panted out and Harry chuckled into her skin, kissing below her ear, “What’s the matter? Don’t tell me he turned you into a good girl, hm?”

Eden couldn’t think straight as Harry peppered kisses on her skin, going back to holding onto her waist as he grinded into her ass, “Remember when I ate you out on the edge of the pool?” He mused.

Eden’s eyes fluttered as she felt his hard length pressing into her and Harry bit the lobe of her ear, “Eden.” He reprimanded, “Do you remember?”

“Yes.” She swallowed, “Yes, I remember.”

“Good. You were always such a sweet little slut for me. Letting me use you however I wanted. Just needed me to take care of you, hm?”

“Oh my god.” She whimpered. Harry wanted to pump his fists in the air. He had her in the palm of his hand. He cooed her condescendingly, “So easy to ruin you. So easy to use you. Just have to whisper in your ear and you’re almost begging to choke on my cock.”

One of Eden’s hands flew behind her, gripping onto the back of Harry’s neck. He groaned softly, flicking his eyes up to lock eyes with Jason, who was still looking. Eden rolled her ass back against Harry as she panted out, dry humping him.

Harry smirked, letting go of inhibitions as he slipped his fingers underneath the triangles covering Eden’s tits, cupping her chest and giving a squeeze. The perfect handful for him. Eden gasped and arched more, providing him pressure and Harry licked the hinge of her jaw. Every dirty memory entered his brain. He remembered it all, every second he spent with her. 

“Gonna fuck you so good tonight.” He promised, “Make you feel what you’ve been missing, hm? Such a whore for my cock.” 

“Harry…” Eden whimpered and Harry grunted, “Fuck.”

The shadow of Jason looming over them made Harry and Eden both open their eyes. Jason stared down at her, panting and gasping as Harry grinded into her ass from behind, her head lulled back, her eyes hazy, her mouth open. His lip twitched up in a smirk, matching Harry’s. Harry latched his lips onto Eden’s neck, tugging her back into the pool to allow Jason room to join them.

He was hard in his shorts, Harry could tell. Eden’s breaths shortened when she locked eyes with Jason, who pressed himself against her front. She was smushed between both men and Jason wasted no time in cupping her ass, tugging her hips into him as he kissed her. Harry kept up the grinding against her backside, watching as Eden’s tongue slipped out to lick into Jason’s mouth.

His jealousy raged throughout his entire body and Harry grabbed her throat again, harder this time until Eden choked on a breath. She broke the kiss with a moan, tugging Harry’s hair as he had one hand around her throat and the other on her breast. 

“Please.” Eden panted, “P-Please.” 

Jason chuckled, shortly locking eyes with Harry. Harry played with her nipple, squeezing her throat as Jason slipped his fingers into the front of her bikini bottoms. Eden squeaked when he touched her. Jason dipped his head, surprising Harry with a sudden kiss. Harry choked Eden harder, eyes fluttering as Jason kissed him while fingering Eden. Eden’s eyes watered when Jason tapped into her g-spot, finding her so slick after Harry worked her up all the way.

It only took about a minute for her to reach her peak, spasming in Harry’s arms. The kiss between Harry and Jason broke as Harry rutted his hips into Eden’s ass, feeling as she arched and shivered in the aftermath of her orgasm.

He wanted to laugh when Jason gently shushed her, slipping his fingers from her pussy. Harry wondered how many fingers he used, if he pushed Eden to the brink. If it were him, he would’ve edged her a few times and overstimulated her until she was crying. Eden blinked a few times as the waves of pleasure subsided.

Jason looked rather pleased with himself, Eden’s legs locked around his waist. His fingers gently pulled her bikini top back in place, one of Harry’s hands still cupping one of her breasts as he kept her pulled back by her throat.

Harry moaned, forcing Eden’s head to turn as he pressed his lips on hers.

Eden froze, immediately pulling back in shock. Harry chased her, pressing another small kiss to her plump bottom lip but Eden gasped and violently moved out of his grip. Jason seemed surprised at her rejection and Harry frowned, “W-” His hands slipped from Eden as she seemingly panicked, staring at him with wide eyes and a heaving chest. 

Jason flicked his eyes between the two in confusion and Harry stared at Eden, who stared at him in shock.

“Eden?” Harry checked and she straightened up, fixing her bikini as she shook her head, “I-I can’t do this.” She hurried out of the pool, leaving puddles of water behind her as she disappeared inside of the house, leaving both men in the pool.

***

Eden was pacing around Harry’s bedroom. She had no idea why this is the place she chose to have her panic attack, but somehow it comforted her. She saw the bed she spent most of the past summer in, curled around his body.

Her lips still tingled. Not from her orgasm, but from that fucking kiss. She hadn’t expected him to kiss her. Somehow it felt far more intimate than him grinding his dick against her skin or him touching her tits. It felt… delicate. Vulnerable. And it brought back feelings that Eden had tried to get over.

The warm air inside the house had caused her bikini to dry and Eden yanked one of Harry’s shirts out of his closet to put it on and cover herself up a bit. She had a lump in her throat. Eden softly dropped down on the duvet of Harry’s bed, rolling around on her side until her fingers felt the sheets. She was catapulted back to waking up in here with him snoring into her neck. It had all felt so domestic.

She sniffled once until she heard footsteps, and Eden straightened up. She had expected it to be Jason, but Harry appeared in the doorway. He also covered up with a shirt and his hair was drying curly after being in the pool.

He had a frown on his forehead, “Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Or did he?” He asked in a slight panic.

Eden wiped underneath her eyes and Harry’s heart cracked, taking in her broken state. Eden rolled her lips inside her mouth, almost to keep herself from breaking down further, “I’m okay.” She rasped.

“You don’t look okay.”

She almost huffed, sniffling, “I-I just don’t wanna go through with it anymore. I wanna go home.”

Harry nibbled his lip, leaning against the doorpost, “Are… Are you sure?” He checked.

Eden got up her feet, “Yeah.” She breathed, “Sorry, you don’t get to fuck me today.” Her voice took a bitter turn as she was ready to strut past him, but Harry grabbed her arm with a frown on his face, “You think that’s what this was about?”

“What else was it about?” Eden shrugged, her voice sounding scratchy. She shrugged her arm out of his grip, “You’re horny, said you’ve been missing me and the way we used to be. And what we used to be, were two people fucking around the clock. You’re not that hard to figure out, Harry. You just wanted to get in my pants.”

“I did miss you.” He exhaled, “For far more than sex. You have to know that.”

“How could I know that?!” Eden couldn’t stop herself as she angrily shoved against his shoulders. Even though Harry hardly budged, his brows raised in surprise when tears streamed down Eden’s cheeks, “You kissed me! You fucking kissed me.”

He opened his mouth to speak but she shook her head, bottom lip wobbling, “You broke my heart.” Her voice cracked and Harry’s stomach dropped. Eden shuddered a bit, shoulders dropping as she stood wobbly in his familiar bedroom, “You ghosted me.” She muttered, “Do you have any idea how painful that was? A-And now you just… you wanna pretend nothing ever happened?”

“You agreed.” Harry’s tone was soft and Eden huffed, “Yes, because I thought I was over you.”

Harry licked his lip, “Are you not?” He took a step closer to Eden and she took one back as she sniffled, “Well, I’m crying in your bedroom, wearing your shirt after you kissed me. So no, I’m not. Which is very fucking painful considering you’ve been over me this entire time.”

“I’m not over you.” Harry frowned, “Not by a fucking long shot. I-I’ve been thinking of you all year. I didn’t expect you to show up with a boyfriend. That broke my heart.”

“You broke me first.” She bitterly spoke, “I don’t believe a word you say. You didn’t make any effort into making the long distance thing work.”

Harry ran a hand through his hair, “I thought I was doing you a favor.”

Eden stared at him and Harry casted his eyes down, “Honestly.” He murmured, “I-I didn’t want you to be hung up on me. I felt like we had no future, that we had nothing in common. You wouldn’t move here, I wouldn’t move there… I’m so much older than you. It was a summer thing a-and I felt like I had to let you go.”

He perhaps thought his words would soften Eden up, but if anything her face just darkened. He hadn’t expected the second shove against his chest, stumbling back one step this time.

“You coward.” Eden scoffed as more tears leaked from her eyes. Harry pressed his lips together and Eden shook her head in disbelief, “Y-You don’t get to just decide that for me. I don’t need you to do me any fucking favors. And besides, ghosting me was best for me?! Didn’t even have the fucking decency to have a conversation. I’m a human with feelings and I deserved more. Just because you’re a fucking child doesn’t mean you can treat me like I am too.”

“Hey.” Harry frowned and Eden raised her brows, “What? Anything to say? Seriously, that’s the most pathetic excuse I’ve ever heard. Doing me a favor? You hurt me! I asked you time and time again to visit me in London, you always declined. And not once did you ask me to visit you here.”

Harry frowned deeper, “I-I’m - I mean, you could’ve just come over!”

“And show up unannounced?” Eden challenged. She pointed her finger at him sharply, “You single-handedly decided to end something that involved the two of us. I had no say.”

Harry stared at the floor again, her words of pain seeping into his bones. And he knew she was right. He closed his eyes for a brief second, “You’re right. And I’m sorry. I-I went about it the wrong way, but please know that I cared about you so much. I had just as many feelings as you did. We fooled ourselves into thinking it was a summer-thing.”

Eden crossed her arms in front of her chest as she lowered her gaze. It was silent between them. The amount of information Eden just received, confused her greatly. For all these months, she’d had no answers. And now she did, and it somehow didn’t feel half as satisfying as she hoped it would.

“Why did you suggest this threesome?” Eden softly asked.

Harry moved around, sitting down on the edge of the bed eventually. His fingers fiddled together, “Because I wanted to be close to you. I know you’re devoted to him. And you’re right, he is nice. I still don’t think he’s what you need, but he’s nice, like he’s a good guy.” Harry sincerely spoke, “I just missed you so much, and I craved you. Physically, yes, but also more than that. Just… spending time with you. Making you smile.” He stupidly shrugged before sighing out again, “I felt like it was the only way. I told myself it’d hurt me less to see you with him, than to not see you at all.”

Eden stared at him in disbelief and Harry licked his top lip, “Which wasn’t true. I’m so fucking jealous and he’s so lucky, Eden. And I promise I’ll leave you alone from now on if he makes you happy. I let you go.”

“You did.”

Harry swallowed, “I know.”

Eden weighed her words before flicking her eyes up, “I expected more from you.” She softly spoke, the lump in her throat very present. Harry’s shoulders dropped a tad at her words and Eden wiped underneath her eye again, “Doing anything long-distance requires work and effort, Harry. Just because we didn’t see each other every single day and we had responsibilities, didn’t mean I didn’t still have feelings for you. It… It felt like a break-up.”

Harry felt the pressure behind his eyes and dared flicking his eyes up to Eden, forcing his lips to stop wobbling, “I was in love with you.”

“Stop.” She whispered and he shook his head, chuckling bitterly, “No, really. Like I tried to stop it. But I felt so empty when you left, like nothing made sense anymore. I looked for you in everyone, told myself it’d get better. But it didn’t. I’ve been fucking miserable.” He reached for his phone, “Here.” He turned his screen, “See how whipped you’ve gotten me?”

Eden frowned as she took his phone, seeing the open tab on his internet-app which showed apartments in London. Her throat ran dry, “What is this?”

“Was looking to buy a place in London.” He mumbled, “So I could be close to you.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yep.” Harry popped the ‘p’. “It’s quite pathetic.”

Eden stared at him, “I-I don’t know what to say.” She rasped.

Harry was even too embarrassed to look at her. They stood in silence for a bit until Eden turned around and walked off. Harry’s shoulders lowered as he let out a shaky breath, “Shit.” He cursed in defeat, dropping back down on his bed.

By the time he found the courage to get up, he glanced out his window to see Eden’s house quiet and unlit. He felt a punch to his stomach when he noticed the car being gone.

It was dark by the time he was alerted by headlights and the sound of tires on the gravel road. Sadie and Lola lifted their heads too, tails wagging as Harry peeled himself off of the leather couch. He had been sitting in silence this time, brooding. Heartbroken. It felt truly done with Eden now and it was like his heartbreak came around in full force at the realization. He had cried, he had showered, he had cleaned up outside after having Jason and Eden over.

He didn’t know when Jason left. All he knew was when Eden left them both in the pool, both of them decided to give her some time first. They had sat outside in silence until Harry announced that he was going to look for her. Jason didn’t stop him.

Harry was on his way to look out the window and see if maybe Eden and Jason had returned, but stopped when the bell rang.

He hurried to the front door, breathless once he opened it up. Eden stood in front of him, almost as nervous as she had been over a week prior when he saw her again after all this time.

“Hey.” Harry rasped.

Eden exhaled a shaky breath, “I - uh… I drove Jason to the airport. We broke up.”

Harry’s brows raised, “Oh?”

“Yeah.” Eden nibbled her lip, hesitation flashing over her features, “Can I… I mean, have you had dinner? I-I’m starving and I was wondering if… if maybe you wanted to eat together.”

Harry could hardly believe what he was hearing. He cleared his throat, legs wobbling a bit, “Y-Yeah, sure. Uh - here? I have stuff in the fridge. We can whip something up.”

Eden carefully entered the house, not as confidently as she did at other times. Harry watched her like a hawk and when Eden had greeted the dogs and they were in the kitchen together, he could no longer keep it in, “What happened?”

Eden didn’t seem very surprised at his question, “We… We talked. I came home, he was already there. I told him what happened, what we talked about.” She popped herself up on the counter as she took a breath, and Harry leaned against the fridge opposite her.

“He said he figured it out.” She shrugged, “That there was still something going on between us. He… He wished me well, we hugged goodbye.” It hurt her to say it. Jason was just so nice. And she treated him so poorly. Even Harry felt for him, but he hadn’t really expected any less. Jason basically worshiped Eden. He just wanted her to be happy, much like Harry.

“I had to tell him, it just wasn’t fair. Wasn’t fair to be with him when I’m not over you.” She murmured. 

Harry’s chest warmed but he hardly dared to be hopeful. He swallowed, “I’m not over you either.”

Eden watched the swing in her legs, her thoughts clouded. She glanced up at him, “Do you mean that?” 

Harry nodded before her question was even out, “Yes, completely. And I know I was an asshole about it, there’s no excuse. But I wanna be better.” He licked his lip, “Seeing you again… it brought everything back. And I don’t wanna let you go a second time.”

Eden’s stomach clenched, “Y-You don’t?”

“I don’t.” He repeated, flicking up his gaze, “And if you still want me… I wanna prove it to you.”

Eden felt only a bit stupid. Was she falling for his games again? Was this entire thing doomed? Was it all just words with no action?

Harry could see the wheels in her head spinning and approached her, placing his hands on the countertop next to her thighs, “Eden,” He breathed, “I’m serious. Honestly. You’re like…” He swallowed thickly, “my favorite person. I missed you so fucking much.”

Her skin grew hot as Eden blinked at him, in disbelief of his words. He was so close. Harry’s eyes widened in surprise when Eden gently leaned in, their lips just brushing together. Her eyes fluttered shut at the gentle touch, thighs tensing as the air between them grew hot and thick.

Harry relaxed, leaning into Eden further as the kiss deepened. Her fingers found the sides of his button-up, tugging him into her further as she tilted her head to the side to allow him more access. Harry groaned from the back of his throat, cupping Eden’s cheeks. Her knees parted for him and a shudder ran down Harry’s spine when her tongue softly flicked against his bottom lip.

“Shit.” He moaned, stroking his thumbs over her cheekbones, “Yeah?” He nodded the question, flicking his eyes between both of hers, as if asking for confirmation that they were really doing this. That they were really giving it a shot, seriously this time.

Eden bit her lip and nodded, “Yes.” 

Harry crashed their lips together, all inhibitions gone. Sadie and Lola curiously watched them from the couch as they made out. It was all tongues and whimpers and teeth as Eden pulled him so close it almost hurt. Harry easily picked her up, and it was like a déjà-vu when he blindly carried Eden up the stairs. They had done this so many times. 

Her kisses grew hungrier, hands tangled in his brown locks as Harry kicked the bedroom door shut and they both dropped on the bed. Eden hastily ripped Harry’s shirt off of his shoulders, tanned skin bulged around his muscles as he held himself up and Eden stroked her fingers over his biceps, taking him in.

Emotion flashed through Harry’s eyes as he laid between Eden’s parted thighs and they resumed their heavy kissing. He licked into her mouth, the plush of her lips brushing against his as he claimed her again. Eden kicked off her shoes and raked her blunt nails down his back, making him arch into her. 

Eden locked her leg around his hip, flipping them over and Harry gladly let her. His back met the sheets as she scooted up on his lap, sitting on top of him. She yanked off the top she was wearing, revealing the dark green bikini underneath.

Harry’s eyes dropped to her chest, his fingers playing over her ribs and up to the triangles covering her up. He brushed his thumbs over where he knew her nipples were and reached his hand around her back, tugging on the knot to get the bikini off. 

Harry could hardly contain himself when Eden sat topless on top of him, gently rocking her hips into his hard cock while catching her breath. She leaned down to kiss his muscular chest, her hands exploring him as she scooted herself down.

Harry’s eyes fluttered as he stared up at the ceiling, preparing himself to feel her lips and attempt to not cum down her throat. Eden gave the best blowjobs he had ever received. She was so filthy with it, not a care in the world as spit dribbled down her chin and she always allowed him to fuck her throat.

She could take him so deep he’d feel her nose against his tummy and she allowed him to cut off her airway until she was on the brink of passing out. Eden loved the pain. Her mouth watered when she sunk down the edge of the bed, Harry’s legs dangling over it. Eden hastily tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before tugging down Harry’s shorts. He panted out, “A-Are you sure?” Please say yes.

“Yes.” Eden confirmed, “Wanna taste you.”

Harry lazily smirked, humming as Eden’s hands closed around his throbbing cock. She used both to stroke him, and he didn’t have to look at her to know she had a sick grin on her face at the precum blurting at his tip. He was hard as a rock, pulsing against her palm. Eden took her time in studying him, realizing he was just as she remembered. Just as big, thick and veiny as she remembered.

“I missed your dick so much.” She admitted, “So, so much.”

“Take it.” Harry rasped, and Eden did. Her lips folded around his tip to give a hard suck that nearly had him coming right there. “Fuck.” He gasped, nails digging into the sheets as Eden hummed at his taste.

She was impatient, sinking her mouth down on him and enveloping him while her tongue flicked in every direction. She held him in her throat, willing away her gags as her hand pumped the part she couldn’t fit just yet. She hummed, clenching her thighs together. Eden loved giving head. Especially to Harry.

“Fuck, così buono, così buono.” Harry breathlessly moaned, “Dio mio.”

Eden moaned around him at his Italian cursing and her hand played with his balls as she bobbed up and down. Harry saw stars behind his closed eyelids, jaw dropping with strangled groans. He hadn’t been stimulated like this in so fucking long. No one was her.

His eyes rolled back when Eden suckled his tip again, and Harry’s hips bucked up as his toes curled. She knew just how to work him. “S-Shit - Eden…” He lowly groaned. Eden took a hold of his ankles, urging Harry to put his feet up on the bed as she stayed kneeled.

His heart violently hammered at what he thought she was about to do. And when Eden popped off and angled his cock up, Harry felt like he was in fucking heaven, “Baby,” He whimpered, “oh my god - please… p-please.” He begged pathetically and Eden hummed, “It’s okay.” Her voice sounded hoarse from the blowjob and she kissed the back of his thigh before working her tongue between his cheeks.

Harry threw his head back as he gripped his solid cock, stroking himself. Eden used her free hands to spread him and give herself more space to eat him out. Her tongue lapped over his rim, relaxing him. 

“Y-You’re perfect.” Harry squeaked, pinching his eyes shut at the heavenly stimulation. Only Eden did this for him. 

When Eden felt like Harry was close to his edge, she retrieved her touches, licking around her mouth for the excess saliva as he caught his breath. Eden wobbled on her legs when she hastily pulled down the skirt she wore, bikini bottoms webbing to her pussy due to her wetness. 

She was fully naked, jumping back on the bed with Harry who immediately rolled them on their sides. It was all quick and hasty as their tongues tangled and he grabbed her thigh, rolling on top of her with her legs locked around his hips. 

“Can I?” He panted breahtlessly, “Please? Fuck - baby, I need to be inside you.”

“Uh-huh.” Eden moaned, “I’m s-so ready.”

“Haven’t prepped you.” Harry kissed her jaw and Eden felt nearly delirious with need, “No need.” She breathed, “J-Just fuck me.”

Harry didn’t let her off that easy though. He hummed softly into her neck, planting gentle kisses over her skin as his hand moved between her legs. A low moan bubbled up his throat when he felt how wet she was. The mound of her pussy, the apex of her thighs, covered in her slick arousal. Her clit pulsed and Eden tried to keep the tears away, feeling so overwhelmed and sensitive.

Harry raised his head and let one of his hands slip behind her neck to hold her up a bit, “Want you to look at me,” He breathed, “when I slip inside you.”

Eden managed to nod, holding her breath. Harry pumped himself once, “Condom?” He briefly asked. He knew him and Eden never used one in the past. Eden was infertile and they only slept with one another.

She swallowed at his question, “Y-You can choose.” She rasped, “I always used one with him. We never did it bare. I’m clean.” Her words surprised him. She never did it bare with Jason? Eden had no chance of a pregnancy, so Harry wondered if she never really had that connection to Jason as she did with him.

But her letting him choose was also sort of the ultimate challenge for Harry. It was almost asking him if he was really serious about this, if they were really gonna go there. Harry quickly kissed her, “Okay. No condom.”

Eden smiled lightly, “No condom.” She whispered. The smile was quickly wiped off her face when Harry dragged the tip of his cock through her sodden folds.

Eden’s lips parted desperately as she exhaled in a shaky breath, “Yes,” She squeaked, “oh god - please.”

“Yeah?” Harry cooed, “Y’need me? Open your legs.”

Eden tried to split her thighs wider and Harry shot her a stern look, “Wider.”

She whined softly, allowing him more space. It was hard to think when Harry’s cockhead continued to brush into her pearled clit. Eden felt like she was about to fucking explode.

“That’s it.” Harry praised, “That’s so good. There we go. My little slut with her legs wide open for me, hm? La mia sporca puttana.”

Eden sputtered out a high-pitched moan when Harry’s tip popped between her walls. She was so hot and creamy, welcoming him greedily as he inched forward to fill her pussy. Eden clenched her jaw in pure satisfaction, eyes rolling back and a moan stuck in her throat.

Harry couldn’t help but smirk at her ruined state, but his breathing turned shorter too the closer he got to filling her to the hilt. He grunted when his thighs touched hers, nestled so fucking deep inside her as her walls clamped around him.

Eden forgot what it felt like to feel so… full. In the best way. So full and fulfilled. Her hands locked around his shoulders in a death-grip as she puffed out sharp breaths, blinking a few times to remind herself where she was.

Harry reared back halfway before sinking back in and Eden gasped, “Oh - Harry.”

“Fuck, I know.” His voice sounded shaky, breathing against Eden’s lips, “I know, baby… Feels so good. So good.”

“Uh-huh.” Eden whimpered, “M-Missed you like this.”

He pressed a kiss to her chin, “Me too, baby. Me too. I missed you so much.” He sharply thrusted, tip of his dick stroking right against Eden’s g-spot. She gasped shakily at the feeling, a tear leaking down her temple, “Shit - you’re gonna make me cum so fast.”

Harry smirked, “Yeah?” He thrusted again, gently squeezing the nape of her neck, “Are you gonna get wet all over me?”

Eden desperately clawed at his shoulders, “Y-Yes.” She whispered, “Oh my god, fuck.” 

Harry dropped his head in the crook of her neck, speeding up a bit. With Eden’s thighs around his hips, he took her in deep missionary. The bed rocked, their moans filling the room as Eden’s orgasm surprised her completely. She cried out, spasming underneath Harry’s body but he didn’t let up, sharply slapping the outside of her thigh as he only screwed into her harder to get her further gone.

Eden mewled, on the brink of pain and pleasure as always with Harry. He was so big, stretching her so wide. But he knew her limits almost better than she knew them herself. Eden would never stop begging for more even if she couldn’t handle it. Harry momentarily pulled out to stave off his own orgasm, allowing Eden time to come down as he kissed his way down her body.

Her thighs trembled, her pussy wet and puffy as he used his thumbs to spread her folds and anchored her legs over his shoulders to eat her out. Eden grabbed the pillow so hard she worried she’d break her nails as she arched and gasped, the feeling of Harry’s tongue on her simply unmatched.

“Yes…” She slurred, “Oh fuck, yes.” She bucked her hips back into him, Harry’s tongue sinfully slipping in and out of her before locking around her clit to give quick, sharp sucks until Eden near shoved his head away in overstimulation. 

“Can you take more?” Harry wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he crawled back over her, dick rock hard still. Eden blinked at him as she swallowed, nodding, “Mhm. Use me. Use me - please.”

It sounded like music to Harry’s ears. He growled from the back of his throat, tossing Eden around until she was on top of him. Not that she needed to get any ideas - Harry was in charge. He positioned her how he saw fit, splitting her thighs around his hips as he forced her to hold her hands behind her back and his free hand held her up by the chin.

“Look at you…” He crooned, gathering spit behind his teeth before giving Eden a warning look. Her eyes fluttered as she let out a pathetic whimper, lips opening no further than an inch as Harry spat in her mouth, part of his saliva dripping down her lips. 

“Dirty slut.” He whispered, using his thumb to spread his spit around before slapping her cheek. Eden moaned at the sting, shuddering on top of him as she desperately tried to get him inside of her again. Eden’s cheek turned red and Harry felt more turned on than he could ever remember to be. 

Harry grinded up against Eden’s wet pussy, smirking at the way her eyes rolled back at the small stimulation. She looked so ruined, but he loved it. And it was proof of how much she trusted him.

“You want my cock?” Harry crooned, “So desperate for it, aren’t you? You’d just let me do anything…” He gave her wrists a warning squeeze to hold them together without his help and Eden did so as his hand travelled lower on her back. He gave one of her ass cheeks a sharp slap and she gasped, grinding back against him. Harry moaned softly, “You’d let me do anything, such a good cumslut, hm? Just want to be filled.”

“Yes.” Eden croaked out shakily and her eyes closed when Harry’s fingers brushed over her rim. Eden keened, arching into him. They had done anal in the past and Eden absolutely loved it. The stretch felt unmatched and it could just get her so far gone. She loved the daze that came with it.

“Want me to fuck you here?” Harry whispered, heart pounding at the thought of slipping inside Eden’s tightest entrance. She mewled as he put pressure on the tight ring of muscles, teasing to push in a finger. Eden managed to nod, “Y-Yes.”

The thought aroused Harry, his dick twitching, “Later, hm?  Wanna fill up your cunt first. Bet your little pussy missed my cum.” He messily kissed her, licking over her lip before he slapped her ass again, urging Eden to lift up so she could sink down on him. 

“Wanna watch it drip.” Harry’s brain spun as he murmured all his filthy thoughts to Eden, who whimpered when she heard him. Her shoulders tensed as he took all control even with Eden on top of him. Harry immobilized her, holding a hand on her ass with a firm grip to have her move up and down on his cock.

He licked up the side of Eden’s neck, “And lick it back up. Y’look so pretty when you’re all creamy for me, baby.”

Eden lulled out a moan as she squirted, making Harry’s eyes pinch shut at the feeling of her gushing over him. “Fuck.” He exhaled, “Hm, just like that.” He continued thrusting up in a lazy pace, “There’s my good girl… Getting me all wet because I’m fucking you too good.”

It all felt like one big orgasm to Eden. Harry’s cock was made for her, filling her up so perfectly. He knew just how to handle her. His slaps were well-timed to keep her on the brink of pain, which only intensified the pleasure. His dirty talk was unmatched, his choking and spitting was just the right amount to turn Eden insane. She had never been this aroused in her life and she couldn’t believe she had been missing this for a year. No one ever came close to how well Harry knew her body like the back of his hand.

“Never gonna let you leave again.” Harry slurred as his orgasm neared, feeling Eden clench around his cock as he whispered the message in her ear. She was hunched over him, panting into his neck as he held her on top of him, fucking up into her wet pussy.

He slapped her ass again before his hand grabbed her chin, forcing her to kiss him, “Promise me you’ll stay.” He moaned.

Eden could hardly hear him, her body convulsing in so much pleasure. Harry spat in her open mind and gave her cheek another slap, something Eden greatly welcomed. Tears streamed down her face in pure delight when Harry manhandled her like this. “I promise.” She whimpered.

It was all Harry really needed to hear to fill her up. His hips jerked, his teeth sinking down into his bottom lip. Eden always loved listening to him when he was turned on. He moaned a melody of her name mixed with Italian curse words, grabbing her body so tightly he could break a few of her bones if he wanted. She let him, cock jolting up inside of her as he sharply thrusted with each spurt of come leaving him and painting her insides. 

It was primal, dirty and not even nearly enough. But it was for now.

Harry doted over her afterwards, Eden too out of it to really say much. He cared for her, cuddled her and kissed her as he massaged her sore shoulders and rubbed lotion over any scratch or bite marks he left behind. Eden laid curled up in his fluffy sheets as Harry gently cleaned them both up.

Eden didn’t say anything as she curled into his body, exhaling a comforted sigh when Harry wrapped her up. Her voice came back about thirty minutes later, once she had taken a little nap.

“Wow.” She whispered.

Harry chuckled, playing with her hair as he stared up at the ceiling. Eden’s head rested on his shoulder and he turned his head to kiss her forehead, “Hm, you’re back.”

“I am.” Eden yawned, “Jesus…” She stretched out her sore legs, “that was intense.”

“How do you feel?” Harry checked, cuddling her a bit closer for warmth. Eden kept her eyes closed, “Good. ‘M thirsty and hungry.”

The night was still young, and it proved to be so when round two happened in the kitchen. As they had some focaccia in the oven, Harry bent her over the countertop. With the dogs outside for the evening freshness, Harry fucked her. It was softer but she came twice more, the position so good for Eden as she arched out her back and pressed her chest into the cold countertop. 

Round three was in the shower afterwards, when Eden lowered herself to her knees to suck him off again. Her body was too tired and sore for more, but she was desperate to have Harry coming again. And he did, filling up her mouth and most of his release painted over her face. 

Eden overstimulated him, her fingers disappearing between his ass cheeks as she took him all the way in her throat in aftercare. Tears leaked down Harry’s face as he lost his balance in the shower, every muscle in his body shivering and trembling. It always turned him a bit emotional to realize how much pleasure Eden wanted him to have. Pushing her own discomfort aside to have him coming as hard as possible.

They cuddled in bed after that, and Eden couldn’t keep her eyes off of him as Harry fought his own body - refusing to go to sleep. His eyes constantly turned droopy but he forced himself to stay awake.

And when Harry jolted awake the next morning to a cold bed, he was immediately panicked.

Did Eden regret it? Did she sneak off? Was she gone? Did he dream it all?

Her bikini on the bedroom floor proved that it had all happened, and Harry jumped in a pair of boxers as he ran downstairs. 

“Shit.” He breathed, clutching his own chest when he stood in the kitchen, overlooking his garden. Eden was in a pair of his boxers and a button-up, holding a fresh cup of coffee as she played with the dogs. Sadie and Lola excitedly circled around her legs and fetched her the ball Eden continued to throw. He could hear her giggle all the way inside.

Harry felt ten years younger, watching Eden. She brightened up his life so much. His feet carried him out in the warm morning, grass crispy from the heat underneath his feet.

“Good morning.” Harry whispered, standing behind Eden and wrapping his arms around her from behind. She smiled when looking over her shoulder, and they met in a sideways kiss, “Good morning.” She smiled.

Harry gave her body a squeeze as he nuzzled his nose below her ear, “Thought you snuck off on me.”

“Really?” Eden teased, turning around in his grip. Harry grabbed her ass, pulling her up a bit to kiss her decently as he hummed, “Yeah. Got me scared.”

Eden ran a hand through his hair, hearts in her eyes when she stared at him, “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Except back to the UK next week.” Harry murmured. Eden’s smile dropped a bit. Harry took the coffee from her hand to have a sip himself before he cleared his throat, “Hey - I should really look for a house rather than an apartment, shouldn’t I?” He mused out loud, “I kind of hadn’t thought of the dogs. But they’d hate being locked up all day. I definitely need a garden.”

Eden’s heartbeat quickened as she nibbled her lip, “Like… What do you mean?” She carefully asked.

“In London.” Harry pecked her top lip, “For when I move there.”

Eden exhaled a sharp breath, staring at him in wonder, “You were serious about that?” She softly asked.

Harry gave her ass a squeeze, “Of course.” He finished up her coffee and put it down on the windowsill behind him, “I’m serious about you. About us. I can sell this place easily. Maybe look for a little vacation home somewhere else. Somewhere… not next to your dad and Colleen.” He joked.

“But… But you love this house.” Eden murmured.

Harry shot her a grin, making her slightly yelp as he picked her up underneath her thighs, “I love you. Fuck the house. I can buy another one. Doesn’t matter where I am as long as I’m with you.” The romantic words felt foreign to Harry, but they came naturally. He had never been this infatuated with another person before. No one could ever make him move in the past.

Eden giggled in disbelief, “You…” She stared down at him before leaning in and taking Harry in a deep kiss. He moaned into her mouth and Eden panted out, nuzzling her nose with him, “I-I love you too, but I want you to think about this.”

“I don’t have to.” Harry shook his head, slowly carrying Eden back inside as he continued carrying her, “The last year of my life has been so fucking lonely, Eden. Like I said, I don’t care where I am as long as I’m with you.”

Eden’s body erupted with butterflies and her cheeks hurt from smiling so wide. Last night had felt like a fever dream. Her legs still felt sore from the amount of orgasms Harry pulled from her body, but it was so much more than that. It was never just sex.

“London’s quite cold.” She breathed teasingly and Harry smirked, squeezing her thighs, “I suppose you’ll have to keep me warm.”

//

THE END OFFICIALLY

[literaila]

still here 

tasm!peter x reader 

summary: there’s an ache in me, put there by the ache in you

(for @elysian-chaos)

warnings: angst, fluff, feeling unworthy, feeling useless, you know, seperation 

a/n: ‘tis the damn season is the best song ever. dont argue 

*

there's this little thing called stress baking. 

typically, stress baking is referred to as coping by making something delicious to scavenge on, instead of dwelling on the feelings scavenging you. and typically, it's done with a certain type of elegance--one that is made up of chaos. completely insane, yet completely in control. it's a messy dance, but perfectly choreographed. 

stress baking is a very reviving task. filling up the house with muffins and pies is not only good for distracting yourself, but also for making friends when you run out of room. or smiling at the cashier every time you have to go to the store for ingredients. 

it's something you've practiced for years. something you've become somewhat addicted to. 

but then there's baking while stressed. which, you swear, hadn't been your intention. 

brownies from a box were supposed to be easy. they were notoriously easy. a couple of eggs, some oil, and some water. the hardest part of your job was mixing, but you'd done it so many times that you zoned out while doing all of it. 

box brownies were supposed to be non-stress and quick. but when you burn the brownies and batter rises over the top of your glass pan, and the oven is dirty, and the apartment smells like burnt batter and oven cleaner--well, you have to reread the directions. 

you're a good baker. you've been making cookies and cakes for parties for years. you pride yourself on not needing measuring cups because you can eye a recipe by the gram. 

not that these brownies would agree. 

and it's already five-forty-five. peter is going to be home in the next fifteen minutes and this was supposed to be a treat. something good. 

"surprise! i ruined our oven, and now we're going to have to spend the next few nights at your aunt's house in your twin-sized bed until the smell of death goes away!" doesn't typically bring out any smiles.

and peter's been stressed lately, and you've been stressed about him. 

and now you're making brownies from scratch without butter--because you used it all on the last batch, oops--and the number of candles you've lit is a sure fire hazard. 

but if peter would just smile at you, pull you in by your waist and laugh while he kissed you with a chocolate mouth, it would all be fine. 

if there wasn't so much riding on this one (two) pan(s) of brownies. like being able to sleep comfortably tonight. 

you turned the oven down, found a new pan--threw the other one out because it was nothing but a source of disappointment--and cleaned the oven just enough to not draw any suspicions. but you could still feel the failure lurking. 

peter was going to come home to a chaotic house, and it was your fault. 

so you scrubbed at the counters. fixed the stack of bills on the table so that you couldn't see any of the stamps, folded the blankets, and even swept the kitchen floor. 

still, you knew peter would know. because he always knows. and maybe that was why he was acting so weird lately--maybe that's why you were acting so weird. 

the door opened when the timer on the oven went off. 

you'd wanted to watch peter walk through the door--so you could gauge how tired he was, how miserable--but maybe it was better not to know. to let him put on a mask while your back was still turned. 

"hey, baby," he said, as you were pulling the brownies out of the oven, setting his house keys on the counter and sighing. "i'm home." 

you peeked over your shoulder, giving him a hint of a smile--the same type he was giving you. "hey, honey," you said back, "you're home." 

peter walked around the island to stand right behind you, kissing the back of your head and stealing a look over to the stovetop. he clears his throat. "brownies?" 

you shrug. "thought you might like something sweet when you got home." 

you take off the oven mitt, not really wanting to look at him--maybe because you're scared of what you'll see, or maybe just because you can already feel his eyes tearing down your skin. 

but you can feel his breath on your neck as he chuckles. his exhaustion as he leans into your back. 

"i've already got you, though," he whispers one peck at the edge of your jaw, another by your ear. 

you snort and pull away, turning so you can look at him. and then you pretend to throw up. 

he laughs and pokes your forehead.

you're not looking at him and he's not looking at you. 

you turn back to the brownies. 

"did you drop something in the oven?" peter asks, leaning his chin on your shoulder. 

"no," you answer, a bit too defensive. 

"sure?" 

"am i sure that i didn't burn something in the oven, peter? yes." 

there's a beat. "...cause it smells like it." 

you headbutt him. "you smell like it. go shower. you can't eat these yet." 

"yes, ma'am," peter takes a step back, and you look at him again.  you can see the question in his eyes, and see your own reflecting the same question. 

what are you hiding? 

"we have some ice cream, too." 

peter moans, his head back. you roll your eyes at him. 

and you start cutting the brownies, worries, and chocolate chips sticking to the knife, listening to peter's footsteps, feeling his presence sticking to you like sugar, sticky and rich, his eyes keeping you on edge. 

you know you shouldn't feel stupid--peter doesn't actually know what happened, or care--but you do. because he knows, and because even from the split second you looked at him, you could see the strain on his skin, the pressure weighing him down, dragging his feet across the floor. 

you feel stupid just because you don't know what to do. so before he can close the door, you turn around. choosing reaction instead of pretending. 

"peter?" 

he pauses, his head whipping towards you. his eyes are as soft and loving as they always are--his attention remains the same, even when his energy doesn't. like he's wasting himself away just to take care of you. 

he swallows. "yeah?" 

"are you--" you blink, look away, try not to taste burnt brownies. "are you okay? you seem tired. was work… alright? 

peter smiles, shaking his head. "just the usual, bub. work and... work. i think i'll go to bed early tonight?" 

you raise a brow. 

peter clears his throat. "i mean, i think i'll take a nap tonight before i go out." 

you nod. "okay." 

you both stare at each other for a moment. he's far enough away that it's easier. you don't have to feel his emotions as he processes them. don't have to see them from up close. 

you hate yourself for being afraid of him. for being afraid for him. 

“d’ya want to join me?” peter asks, whisper slipping from his mouth, smile taunting from his lips. “we can cuddle and eat brownies.” 

you lick your lips, shaky smile enough. “you sure? i’ve heard i can be a bit distracting…”

peter’s laugh makes his shoulders shake. “you heard correctly,” he says eyes crinkled, “but i don’t mind.” 

you nod. you’re grateful for his ease. the careful reveal of his true face, the peeling of a mask. the admittance that not everything is perfect, no matter how small. 

“go shower. i’ll get the sugar.” 

peter kisses you on the cheek before he goes.

and at least you got a couple of smiles out of him. at least you can feel his kiss lingering on your skin. 

* 

it's not that serious. honestly. 

you hardly even think about it. you're not thinking about it. 

you're not dwelling on the smell of soft skin and the feeling of calloused hands running up and down your back, the tickle of a breath against your neck. 

you're not thinking about it at all. 

and if it's been a week--or a week and a half, or two, or three--since you last spoke, or shared the same space with peter, then it's fine. 

this is something you've grown used to. something you're supposed to be used to. 

peter has obligations. 

he has things he needs to fulfill--not just for himself, but for others, for the guilt that you can see rocking his bones all of the time, the shame in his eyes when he comes home a bit too early. he has places that he needs to be, if only because he won't be able to live with himself if he's not there. 

but then again, you're not sure how to live when he's not here. especially when the sink breaks. 

still, as long as you can feel him pull you into his chest every night, imagine him kissing your forehead before falling asleep, then it's fine. 

you're not thinking about any of it because it's fine. 

but you miss him. if only momentarily. 

he'll come back--you repeat this like a promise, like it's his voice whispering it to you--because he always does. 

space is good for the heart, some part of you swears. though you don't think you could think of peter any fonder than you already do. 

he comes in too late at night and is already gone when you wake up. he texts you updates--because you've talked about communication before--and tells you that he loves you through sweet little notes he sends during the day. 

if the thing he wishes to share about his life is the worm he found in his apple, then you're perfectly happy to listen (read). 

it's normal to miss the person you love most in the world. 

and it's normal for your boyfriend to disappear for fourteen hours each day, just barely cuddling with you for three hours before he's gone again. 

it's normal for you, at least

he’ll come back. 

and so, instead of thinking about peter, and wondering when he might notice the frayed edges of your relationship, you make sure that he doesn't have to worry about anything. 

you clean up after the two of you, running the dishwasher and cleaning the bathroom, and packing him lunch on days you know he'll be gone for the office. making sure there's always something he can eat in the fridge when he gets home late at night, and texting him to know what he wants from the store. 

you make the bed and wash his clothes and hope that maybe it'll keep him from burning out. 

you hope that maybe it will keep you distracted enough to not ask him for anything. like love or support or a five-minute conversation. 

if taking care of him is the only way to keep him going--the only way to keep yourself going--then you'll do it. peter takes care of you enough. 

but even if you're not thinking about it, it's there. 

because you've just fallen asleep--which is extremely rare recently, mostly because you like to wait until you hear the window and then slow your breathing until you feel peter crawl into bed with you--and just woke up. 

woke up with sweaty skin and a headache. it's night ten and you're getting nightmares again. 

it's ridiculous that you can't even last two weeks without peter there. without him kissing you to sleep. 

and when you burst out of bed, you almost fall into him--almost scream because you're sharing the bed with someone else. 

tears are running down your face. your heart feels split open--like your dreams have revealed something inside it. 

but you look over to peter and he's there; he's still here. 

so you take a deep breath--chest caving in, body following--and you rest your head in your hands. 

if there's anything you want right now, it's for peter to wake up. 

it's for him to know all of this. 

you want him to appear next to you, leaning over your back like he's going to shelter from the world if that's what you need. rubbing your back and whispering in your ear. you want him in your house and laughing when you break the shower rod again. 

you want him to cuddle with you before he leaves, and cross his heart when you scold him while he crawls out the window. 

you want him in more than just your memory. 

but peter is snoring next to you, and so you sit there in silence until the tears begin to ease.

*

peter's not supposed to be home. 

he works until five, and then takes the subway home--and you're not expecting to see him anyway. he's been shoving his suit into the bottom of his backpack right as you pull it out of the hamper.

so it's not that unusual for you to be laying in bed, shoes and socks kicked across the floor, hands gripping for some stability, and eyes puffy and red. 

and it's not that unusual for you to squeak when the window opens, and spider-man's head peeks into your room. 

you can feel peter's wide eyes behind the mask. 

you're quick to wipe your face, throw on a clumsy smile. "peter," you say, exhaling. "what're you doing here?"  

a body crawls into the window, dirt and grime on clothes finger-tips reaching out to you. "what's wrong?" he asks, voice only slightly muffled. 

but you take a step back, moving away from him when he lands on the floor, leaving spots for you to vacuum up later. 

"what're you doing here?" you repeat, voice a bit harsher, a bit faded. 

"i need--" he reaches his hand out toward you again, retreating when you do. "i needed some more web fluid. i don't--" he shakes his head. "what happened?" 

"i, um," you wipe traitorous tears away again. "i think there's some more in the closet. i keep moving it when i'm cleaning, sorry." 

"you're crying," peter scolds. like you're being ridiculous. like you're not trying to save him the effort it's going to take to fix this irrational piece of you, these lonely broken bits. 

you bite your lip and look away. 

because although you can't even see his eyes--they are still scolding. they are quick and cruel reminders that you haven't talked to peter in two weeks. 

you turn towards your bedside table, pretending to organize the contents on top. 

you can hear peter moving. 

"what's going on, bub?" he says, soft enough for the words to crawl under your skin. he's taken the mask off. his voice is clear. 

"oh, nothing, you know," you pause, shrugging. "just the usual sad movie type of cry..." peter's hand reaches your back and you flip around, almost knocking over your lamp. 

"c'mon," he whispers to you, far closer than you'd been expecting. 

you try and take a step back, only meeting a dead-end. he's cornered you. "you should go, peter. you were just--" 

"this is more important."

you laugh. "some silly tears are more important than a collapsing building?" 

"you're more important," peter swears, his eyes so focused on yours, "to me." 

you blink and shake your head. gesture back towards the window. "go and save some people. you don't have to help me too." 

peter swallows, brows furrowed. "will you tell me what's wrong?"

"i can take care of myself, peter. you don't need to worry about it." 

"well, i'm going to." 

you roll your eyes. and then you break free of his hold, moving away from the table, from the cage he's built around you. "move along, spider-man." 

peter doesn't move any closer, but his limbs are tense. his face is concerned and hurt--you try and shield that out.

"i'm not leaving you when you're crying."

"i'm not crying anymore." 

peter scowls. "stop deflecting." 

you take a deep breath, throat dry and aching. "i'm not--" you clear your throat, shaking your head and looking away from him. "i'm fine, peter. but some people actually need you. go and save the day," you tell him. "i'll still be here when you come back." 

*

and you are. 

you're sitting on the couch, staring at photos peter took on the wall, wondering how to explain any of it. 

how to explain yourself without digging the two of you any further in this hole. 

you've been trying to prove just how little you need peter--just how useful you could be--and by doing so, you've put yourself in this situation. 

because you do need him. you just hadn't wanted peter to know that. 

so you're sitting on the couch, trying not to flinch every time the air conditioning comes on, or there's a footstep from the apartment above you. you're waiting for peter to climb in through the window, waiting to see how exhausted he is before he has to deal with you. 

and you've bitten your lip raw. completely eliminated any evidence of fingernails you once had. 

your heart stutters with every minute that comes by. 

and when you finally hear peter hop in from the fire escape, your heart stops completely. 

you wonder if he's going to change before he comes and finds you. before the inevitable happens, and you give him another reason to work so late. 

your restlessness must be audible because it only takes peter forty seconds before walking into the living room. he's wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. 

he's wearing a frown like a well-tailored suit. known and made for him. 

you're trying not to frown back. 

"hey," you say, putting on a smile, voice flighty and an octave too high. "everything okay?" 

"no one got hurt," peter says, the antonym to your tone. 

"good." 

apparently, your tight-lipped smile isn't enough to ease the tension in the room. 

"are you ready to talk?" peter asks, slowly stepping toward you, just barely meeting your eyes. 

you'd scrubbed your face after he left. sobbed in the shower as you washed away any of the shame you hadn't meant for him to see. you'd made sure that your eyes weren't puffy, and your eyelashes were dry before he'd got home. 

so when peter scans your face--as he's doing now--he shouldn't notice anything unusual. 

besides the facade you're putting on. 

you clear your throat, eyebrows lifted like you're unconcerned. "there's not much to talk about." 

peter's sullen face doesn't move an inch. "why were you crying?" 

"i already told you. i watched a sad movie," you wave a hand, "you just came in at the wrong time." 

peter sighs. he sits down on the couch next to you, keeping his distance. "don't lie." 

you frown. "i'm not lying." 

"you've got some pretty obvious tells, you know," peter whispers, giving you a hint of a bittersweet smile. "you don't have to talk to me. but i'd like it if you did. i just want to make sure that you're... okay." 

"i'm fine, peter." 

he looks away. "and if you're not then we'll figure it out. i just want to know." 

"well, you do." 

peter opens his mouth, then closes it, shaking his head. 

he's sitting three feet away from you, but his hands are clasped together, his legs are opposite of yours, and he can't even look at you. 

you can feel it, as you push him away. as you try so desperately to hold him close without touching him. 

"okay," peter says, eyes meeting yours again. "i don't want to push you." 

no, but he should pull you off of this ledge. should keep you from falling any further than you already have. 

you shake your head, laughing. it's not funny. 

"what?" 

you close your eyes. count to ten. forget how to breathe, or how to speak to the person you love most in this world. 

"what?" peter repeats, but softer. 

you open your eyes. 

and then it all crumbles. 

you scoff. "can you stop looking at me like that?" you plead, breaking away, physically distancing yourself from him. 

"like what?" 

it's his fault, really, for coming home so early in the day. 

"like you can't deal with this. like this is exhausting." 

the tears sneak up on you, knocking you out before you even notice that they're there. 

peter's eyes are wide as he stares at you. "you're not--" he swallows, frantically reaching towards you. "this isn't exhausting--i'm not--" a moment, tears beginning to fall. "what do you--" 

you sigh, shaking your head. "you're always gone, and you come home exhausted every night after you think i've fallen asleep, and you only talk to me through text, and even now you just--" you stop, voice breaking. "if you can't do this," you say, softly, "then you should just tell me." 

peter is closer than he was a moment ago. "what?" 

"i know this is a lot of work, okay? and i know that you're already pushing yourself, so it's fine if i'm too much. if--if loving me is too much." 

there's a moment of silence, and you're almost sure that peter has already left. 

but then there's a thumb wiping a tear from your cheek. you can't open your eyes, can't face the reality you've been desperately holding off. 

"you're not too much." 

peter moves closer to you, his leg touching yours, his hands moving so that he can hold you closer. 

you couldn't push him away if you tried. 

"you're not too much," he repeats, the words sinking into your skin, his breath meeting yours. "i can't believe you would think that." 

you half laugh, half sob. peter wipes away those tears too. 

"you're the only thing keeping me going," he tells you, kissing your forehead. "i'm sorry i haven't been there. i didn't realize..." he shakes his head. 

"you shouldn't have to take care of me as much as you do," you whisper. 

peter nudges his head against yours. "hey. you take care of me way more than i take care of you. you clean up after me and stay up with me when i can't sleep. you help fix my suits, and do all of the laundry. and you never complain. you're practically my guardian angel." 

"that's all easy." 

"not for me," peter says, voice lighter than before. 

you shrug. 

"but you do all of that cause you love me," he adds, kissing your forehead again. "or, i hope that's why." 

"it's the sex." 

peter laughs, nuzzling his head into you. "well, at least you're honest. but, it's the same reason that i take care of you. you shouldn't feel... guilty because of that. you're no burden on me." 

"no?" 

"absolutely not." 

you bite your lip. try and believe peter. but honestly, you're most lovesick from how close he's holding you. how you can feel his skin and listen to him speak somewhere that isn't your bed. you're not quite sure that this isn't a dream. 

"hey," peter moves his head so you're looking at him. "we suck." 

you laugh, leaning your forehead against his. 

"i'm sorry it's been so long since we've... anything. it's been a rough couple of weeks." 

"for me too. it's not your fault." 

"you have to tell me if it's not enough, okay? i don't want you to suffer through it by yourself. if you need to talk to me--even for ten minutes--then you have to let me know." 

"okay." 

"do you promise?" 

you nod against him, nose brushing his cheek. "i promise, peter." 

peter smiles, satisfied. he groans, pulling you even closer to him. "i love you, bug. so much." 

you can barely hear him because of how tight he's hugging you. it sort of hurts, but mostly heals. 

"i know," you say back. but peter probably can't hear you, because you say it right into his shirt. 

*

my masterlist here.

tags:@moonlarking-blog @v1ci0us @preciousbabypeter @alexxavicry @directioner5life @inthegetawaycarwithtaylah @localrockstargf  @thestudiouswanderer @take-my-hand-time-boy @thoughtsofagodlovingsunflower @nyomjoon  @moo-b1tch @raindropstearsandtea @rqmanoff @hollandweather @wetcoldnoodle @urlocalavenderhazestan @valvlry @imthatcoolmom @spideysimpossiblegirl    invisibletrolleyson-jeremy  @sharkswaters  @rowniebow @anaislfbv @take-my-hand-time-boy @mileyc111 @starsval @ratsys

[cowgurrrl]

To Be Alone

Pairing: Joel Miller x fem!reader (plus platonic Ellie Williams x fem!reader)

Author’s note: Your honor, he’s a slut

Summary: “Thank you for loving me when I still tasted of heartache and war.” - Nikita Gill, aka you and Joel realize how different your lives are in Jackson [1.1k]

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, a couch make out, Ellie being Ellie, the teeny tiniest bit of spice

"Your hair is getting long," you say as you run your fingers through the length curling at Joel's neck. You smooth a curl between two fingers and count at least an extra inch and a half of new hair. He leans into your touch as he sits beside you on the couch, fiddling with whatever carving he's working on now. You swear this man was a cat in a past life. He's practically purring when you scrape your nails over his scalp. "D'you want me to cut it tonight?"

"You hate it that much?" He asks, and you shake your head, smiling.

"I love it, but I'm worried an Infected…" you trail off, your hands still in his hair as you think. Joel furrows his brows and turns to look at you, putting the wood down and resting a hand on your knee.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Can you remember the last time you had to get close to an Infected? Like close enough for them to grab your hair?" You ask. "Or even just a person?"

"The only person who's been pullin' at my hair lately is you." He smirks, and you pull his ear like a petulant child, making him laugh.

"I'm being serious, Joel!" You say. "Can you think of any other time since Outbreak Day that you've gone months without getting into a fistfight? Or even just a week?" Your voice is giddy even though you're talking about surviving. Joel thinks, staring pensively at his hands like they will give him the answer before he looks to you again.

"No, I can't."

"That's a big deal," You say, and he hums, rubbing his thumb over your kneecap. It feels weird now that you're thinking about it. For years, you went from fight to fight and never stopped to imagine what could be different. And now you're here, and you didn't even realize it's been months since your life has been at risk. "What do we even do with ourselves if we're not fighting?"

"Try not to die. Make nice things. Love each other. Maybe make the world a little bit better."

"That's very optimistic of you, Joel Miller."

"You made me an optimist." He says, and you press your tongue into your cheek as you smirk. You push onto your knees and straddle Joel's waist. He smiles and rests his hands on your hips, more than happy to have you so close.

"You're cheesy."

"You love it," He says as he kisses you. You cup his jaw and smile against him when his beard scratches your skin. He chases your lips when you lean back to make a snarky comment, effectively forcing the words from your brain. You moan when he licks past the seam of your lips, but the sound only spurs him on. His grip on your waist tightens as you rock against him, a desperate groan leaving him. Your mind is swimming when he dips down to press open-mouthed kisses to your neck. "What time is it?" He asks, scraping his teeth over your pulse point. You glance at your watch over his shoulder.

"Three-forty. Ellie said something about hanging out at Jesse's after school, though."

"So, we have an empty house to ourselves for a few more hours?" He asks, teasing the buttons of your shirt.

"Looks like it." You say as he flips your position and lays you on the couch. He positions himself above you and mouths at the column of your throat. You sigh, needy and impatient, and bury your hands in the hair at the nape of his neck. The sound of the door opening makes you both curse and sit up. Ellie's eyes practically roll out of her head when she sees you two.

"Seriously, guys?"

"She started it," Joel says, and you slap his arm. He looks guilty with his messy hair and swollen lips, and he knows it.

"I thought you were hanging out with Dina and Jesse tonight." You say, sounding slightly more defensive than you meant to be.

"I came home to grab my comic book, but even if I was hanging out with them, you still shouldn't do it on the couch!"

"Woah!" Joel screeches, and you laugh as you push him away.

"We were just kissing, weirdo! I think Joel and I should be allowed kiss in our own home."

"Well, just remember there are people, meaning me, who live here and don't want to see that." She says as she stomps up the stairs. As soon as she's out of earshot, you slap Joel's arm again, and he makes a fake pained noise.

"I can't believe you blamed me!"

"You're not any less guilty than I am!"

"I'm not the one who started with the touching and the kissing and the 'you made me an optimist' bullshit."

"I guess that's true," he concedes, a mischievous smile pulling at his lips. "What can I say? You make me a romantic."

"Oh my, God, shut up."

"Also, when are you gonna cut Joel's hair? It's getting way too long." Ellie asks as she runs back down the stairs. You hide your smile behind your hand as Joel looks at her and turns serious.

"I've actually decided to start growing my mullet out again."

"You did not have a mullet."

"Oh, yeah. Back in Texas, all the cool guys had one."

"Why'd you have one, then?" She quips, and you nearly fall out of your seat from laughing so hard. Ellie laughs, too, but Joel just shakes his head.

"Don't you have some dumbass friends to hang out with?"

"I actually do," Ellie does an overdramatic bow before heading for the front door. "See ya, losers!"

"Be home by ten!" You call after her.

"I can't hear you!"

"Ellie Williams, you better be home by ten, or I'm sending Joel after you!" She groans from her place in the doorway but doesn't argue before finally walking out the door. Joel chuckles when he sees your exasperated look. "She gets that from you, you know."

"Gets what from me?"

"The drama, the grumpiness, the teasing," you say as he leans into you, his lips ghosting over yours as you talk. "Oh, and she's totally perfected the Miller scowl."

"There is not a Miller scowl." He says as he kisses you, trying to distract you.

"If anybody would know about the Miller scowl, it's me," You argue against his lips, and he sighs, the space between his eyebrows creasing. "You're doing it right now!"

"You know you're a Miller, too, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," you roll your eyes as he kisses you again, this time with enough force to steal the air out of your lungs. You tangle your hands in his too-long hair and let him slowly undo the buttons on your shirt. He quickly finds all the little scars and marks he's become so familiar with in the past few years with his mouth. It's almost embarrassing how easily you keen under his touch. "You better get up and lock that door if you're gonna fuck me on this couch, cowboy."

You don't know if you've ever seen Joel in as big of a rush as he was to lock the front door.

🍓

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Tag list: @evyiione @nyotamalfoy @abbyhaslongshorts

[shankss-magnificent-ass]

Imagine becoming the beast pirate's espionage chief

Kaido: I know you don't trust him, but I can't and won't act against him while he's still useful to me.

You: I'm glad you said that, I've used most of my free time in the last month to gather proof. [hands Kaido an appropriate-sized folder] I found that Mister Bennington of Foodvalten did not exist until six years ago.

Kaido: [pulls out a pair of delicate reading glasses, puts them on, and thumbs through the folder]

You: His real name is Frank Jenkins, and he's sixty-eight. He was born in the Appaloosa archipelago, where he started his life of crime at six, swindling tourists. By age fourteen, he moved on to robbery, arson, and petty theft. However, by age twenty, Frank found his lifelong modiis operandi, scam, fraud, and grand theft. Frank posed as a rich entrepreneur and stole large amounts of money from a mining operation before disappearing. He did similar scams on Alabasta, Cactus Island, Jaya, Water 7, and Applenine Island.

Kaido: [closes the folder and hands it off to King] ... you are quite thorough, you even included Marine and local police reports from over forty years ago. How did you get a hold of these without leaving the island?

You: CP-0 and Dofflamingo

Kaido: I figured, but how did you get them to give these to you?

You: I called in favors with Dofflamingo, and performed a few sexual favors with CP-0.

King: Is that why I walked in on you jerking off one of those masked freaks?

You: yeah, and you calling them masked freaks is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black. Also, you don't have any room to judge me, Maria has told me all about your little trysts with her.

King: She's too much of a gossip, as are you, and I don't care about gossip.

You: so you don't want to know which of the tobiroppo brought pubic lice into the crew, and where they got it?

Kaido: Tell me who is the culprit, right this minute.

You: hmm, I dunno, what's in it for me?

Kaido: I won't kill you where you stand.

You: That threat only works on people who like living.

King: How about a promotion to espionage chief, your own quarters and bathroom here and on any of the ships, and a raise?

You: deal, it was Who's-Who, he got it fucking one of Big Mom's kids.

Kaido: I'll kill him! Those little bastards have been gnawing on my balls for weeks. [vigorously scratches his crotch]

You: And that's why I don't fuck my crewmates unless I benefit from it because y'all are nasty.

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[hunnylagoon]

The Killing Moon

PT2 The Colour Wars

Ellie Williams x Reader

It’s the perfect night for mystery and horror. The night itself is filled with monsters.

Premise: Summer camp feels a little different. Could it be newfound feelings for your friend or creatures beyond the imagination stalking you? Either way, it’s time to win the Colour Wars.

Warnings: Raunchy humour / mentions of cryptids / creepy?

PART ONE: Camp Spirit

Hope everything is alright with you because I'm so stressed that I may be spiralling into insanity at any moment. I understand that I'm an adult now but I too need someone to scream my frustration to until my lungs burn and I'm light-headed. "Hey, I'm having like super bad cramps and my flow is super heavy so I can't play this game."

I look at the girl in front of me, she's around fourteen if I had to guess and has two blonde French braids. We were in the middle of the first game of colour wars -the treasure hunt- and this girl was sporting a blue shirt, I didn't know her face nor was she on my team and I hadn't even noticed that she had been tagging along with my group for ten minutes. "Who are you?"

"Laila."

"Why are you here?" I ask but Laila only answers me with a shrug and a sneer "Never mind, I'm not your counsellor and I don't care, go to the nurses."

"Can I go to the nurses too?" Olive peeps up behind me "I think I have a scrape on my knee.":

"Don't we all?" I look back at her "We gotta win this game, we're so close," We were, mostly because every time the blue team gathered treasure I would send out feral kids to ambush them and bring it back to me "We're gonna have all the treasure we can carry." The objective was simple; The directors hid treasure (Cheap jewelry, hats, clothes from the old theatre program, etc.) across campgrounds and we had to source it out, whichever team came back to the sports field with more treasure won.

"We've been out here for hours," Morgan groaned, you'd think that these girls had been sent to war with the way they complained.

"It's only been forty-six minutes."

Olive took a seat on a rock, Leah doing the same, it didn't take long for each girl to have firmly planted themselves on the ground and refuse to get up. Valentina grabbed a stick and began to scratch drawings into the muddy ground.

"C'mon guys, there's like fifteen minutes left, and I know for a fact that there is still treasure to be found." I know how ridiculous I must've looked at that moment, I had been wearing a purple 'royal cape' that was pilling onto my T-shirt and a cheap dollar store crown that kept slipping off my head.

"I'm so bored," Chloe drew out.

"Because you're being boring!" I exasperate. Never had I ever had a cabin that was so apathetic and unenthusiastic, they were a stark contrast to last year when everyone had sunshine running through their veins and mud smeared across their faces; those pitch black summer nights live in my bones.

"This isn't fun, can we play something else?" 

"No," I take a deep breath out, composing myself "You are at summer camp to be outdoors, you're developing important social, cognitive and emotional skills."

I'm met with blank stares from each and every girl sitting below me "I don't know what that means," Leslie said.

"It means we're going through puberty," Kim tells her.

"No," My eyes go wide "No, it means that you're figuring out who you are."

"Am I gonna get my period soon?" Valentina drops the stick from her tiny hands. 

"Maybe- I don't know," I thew my hands out. 

"What's a period?"

"It's where you bleed until you don't have any blood left and then you die," Kim says this so matter-of-factly like she has a degree in healthcare and has been teaching the health unit in PE for a decade.

"WHAT?" Chloe jumps up from her spot on the ground, looking around to see if she's already bleeding out.

"We're gonna die and you didn't tell us?" Leslie looks even more terrified than she did on the night of the camp legend.

Every girl was beginning to panic, fear was clear across their small faces. It's moments like these where I wish I was alone, maybe solo camping or back in my bedroom from high school, somewhere where only the moon knows how I rot and the sun knows how I yearn.

"Guys, calm down, a period isn't a bad thing and it won't hurt you," This was my attempt to soothe the ten-year-old girls who were contemplating how they would spend their last days on earth. The plastic crown slips off my head and I reach down to grab it and readjust it.

"Then why is it called a period if it doesn't end your life?" Kim asks, crossing her arms.

"I don't know but it doesn't end your life-

"Can we just go back to the soccer field until this game is over?" Tamar chimes in, looking like she rather be staring at cardboard boxes. 

"Fine!" I finally gave in, gathering all of the treasure that once sat at my feet into my arms. The amount of treasure was almost overflowing, I had stolen a bunch from some kids in Dean's cabin who were too scared to argue with me. 

"Am I going to die?" Leslie scurries up beside me and I look down at her, behind the thick lenses of her classes, she is holding back tears.

"Not for a very long time," I can hardly bend my neck to look at her with the amount of shit I'm hauling, the girls being little to no help with this. The girls trail behind me and I have to turn my entire body to look at them "If anyone runs off this time, I'm feeding them to the snatchers."

Suddenly they want to listen. The woods aren't scary in the day, just at night when they begin to whisper. As of now, I know the quickest way to every part of camp despite the identical trees so thick that you can hardly see the sky when you're beneath them. 

Leslie holds onto the bottom of my red Colour Wars T-shirt since my hands are full, Valentina holds onto Leslie's hand and all of a sudden I've become a mother hen with little chicks following me around. 

"If magic isn't real then why were people so scared of witches," Valentina asks me while she kicks a rock across matted fallen leaves and dirt. 

"Maybe magic is real," I say "To burn a witch is to admit magic exists."

"How do I become a witch?" Chloe appears out of what seems to be thin air on my other side, I can't see her since my pile of goodies is up to my chin and I'm afraid that if I move all of it will come tumbling down.

"Practice magic," That was my guess, I didn't know squat about witchcraft.

"How do I do that?"

"A real witch will figure it out herself," I say. When you've worked with kids for five years, you get to a certain point where you run out of creative answers. During my first year working here, I was sixteen and a CIT, terribly afraid to mess up because I hadn't lived yet. With each passing year that I've come back, I get more and more comfortable, returning to familiar faces and the smell of petrichor.

Chloe nods excessively like I've just said something extremely profound, I can see the gears turning in her head like she's already thinking of spells to cast. 

It takes a little less than five minutes until we're out of the woods, we emerge by the crafts cabin, the soccer field is in clear sight. The soccer field is built over a little mound, slightly elevated from the ground and on top I can see two piles of knick knacks and a pretty big sum of campers and counsellors alike waiting on the top. 

From the looks of it Tommy and Joel have already begun to count their respective teams mound of treasure, Tommy being on the amazing red team and Joel representing the awful/disgusting/foul/boring/untalented blue team. That might've been a stretch but there were no friends in the Colour Wars.

In what seems to be the blink of an eye a hoard of kids runs past me and my girls, nearly knocking me off my feet. I didn't even process that some boys with too much energy had stolen plyed my well earned (stolen) treasure from my arms leaving me with nothing but my cape and crown until Liza, a girl from the Grizzly cabin snatched the cape right off my back and none other than Ellie herself grabbing the crown off my head.

They were booking it to the soccer field "Go get our shit back!" I yelled ushering my girls to go after the kids who were at least three years older than them. Only two of them actually listened; despite how hard they were trying, Leslie and Chloe's stumpy legs couldn't take them very far, leaving me to be the only one in pursuit.

I summoned back all of my memory from playing rugby in highschool and jumped on Ellie's back, I didn't take her down but she stumbled. I was so desperate to not turn up empty handed. By the time I made contact with her, she had already thrown the crown ahead for Liza to catch. They ran up the soccer field, dumping the double stolen treasure into their hula hoop. Even visually they were in the lead now, thanks to my expert piracy skills and theirs too, I guess.

"I hate you," I slid off Ellie's back, my sneakers hitting the dusty ground. "My girls earned that fair and square."

She looks me up and down, bathing in my anger like some kind of prize "I know you stole it."

"How?"

"Because I know you."

"Oh yeah?" I cross my arms, taking a step closer to my friend "Do you know how I'm gonna kick your ass later?"

She grins "I look forward to it." Ellie leaves me with this while she walks up to the soccer field to revel with her team in their newfound victory.

"What does 'kick your ass' mean?" Olive padded up behind me along with the rest of the girls, except for Leslie who was bent over, one hand on her knee to support her while she clung to her inhaler for dear life. "Are you gonna beat Ellie up?"

"I think she means 'kiss her ass'." Kim said, turning her head to look at Olive "Like they're gonna have sex later."

"What's sex?" Chloe furrowed her eyebrows.

"Kim you need to stop talking," I tell them, hands on my hips, nothing but frustration etched into the forefront of my brain. I glance back at Ellie as Maria rings the bell to signal that the game was over. Softly, with hands gentle as rain, I will wrap my hands around her neck and strangle her.

"Listen up!" I announced to the eight girls in my cabin. To absolutely no surprise, blue won the treasure hunt, now we were setting up for a water balloon fight in the allotted section of woods that Joel taped off in bright pink flagging tape. "I physically and mentally cannot handle another loss, I will be very disappointed in each and every one of you if we don't win-

"That's not true," Daniel cuts me off "The point of today is to have fun, winning doesn't matter, just do your best." The both of us are standing tall on a rock while the campers sit around and stare up at the two of us like we had been mighty gods preparing to throw wine and bread at their little feet.

I eye Daniel from the side and look back to everyone "None of your hard work is going to matter unless you win so do you want to be a whiney loser like Daniel or be cool like me and win the colour wars?"

Everyone fell quiet for a moment as if a curse of silence fell upon us until Kim not-so-sublty yelled "Daniel's a pussy!" I was beyond the point where I cared about the girls cussing, the only thing on my mind was showing my very dear friend, Ellie how awful her team is and rub my win in her beautiful face.

"That's what I like to hear!" I smile "Now let's go win this!"

My girls erupt in cheers and Daniel almost shamefully steps off the rock. I had finally made a breakthrough with my cabin after slightly snapping at them after Maria announced that the red team lost. Maybe the treasure hunt wasn't my thing, but water balloon wars? I had won that every single year, even when I was still a camper. 

The objective was easy, be the last team with players, once you get hit you're out. Friendly fire is strictly against the rules as well as headshots, they had to be hit in the torso, once you get wet, you're out and have to leave the allotted zone to watch. 

We played in a patch of forest that was less dense than the rest, making it easier to run around. 

"Three!" Maria shouted, "Two!" She's standing in the middle of the zone, so everyone can hear her though no one can see her since the two teams are on opposite ends to make it fair. "One!" She blows her whistle and kids are already dunking their hands into buckets of icy-cold water balloons and setting off to the enemy end.

The CITs were responsible for keeping a consistent flow of water balloons and buckets spread evenly in the zone, I remember when I was a CIT and had to miss out on capture the flag to pick up every bit of balloon that at splattered across the ground. 

I had a balloon in each hand, making my way around the perimeter discreetly. I lock eyes with a younger boy in a blue shirt, he immediately turns to run, not fast enough though "Come back here ankle biter!" I yell, decking a water balloon at him, it hits him right in his back.

There was a boy in Sawyers's cabin, one of the wild ones with animal teeth that ran off of energy drinks and the huff of Sharpies. He tried to throw a balloon at me but it missed me by a landslide, his second attempt wasn't much better.

I however nailed him in the chest "You're out buddy!" I smiled, and he met this by giving me the middle finger. "Whatever carrot top, tell Sawyer I send word!"

I was way too good at this game. Every year I thought I could take on the other team single-handedly and every year I'm proven right when I'm the last one standing. After a prompt reminder from Joel that this was supposed to be fun for the campers and I was treating it like World War Three, I had to cool down a little bit.

We played this game straight after lunch so everyone was either hopped up with energy or sluggish from eating too much, alternatively, there was Ashlynn. She was wandering around, a black bleach-stained hoodie thrown over the top of the shirt for whatever team she was on.

Ashlynn had a can of Diet Coke in hand, where did she get it? I'm not too sure, my guess is that she stashed them under her bunk. "Hey," She sits on a log beneath the tree I was hiding behind. "You're way better at this than you should be, you know you're playing against children, right?"

"I didn't come here to fuck around," There weren't a whole lot of people left in the game, I just took out Abby and the only counsellor left on the blue team was Ellie, maybe Ashlynn but she didn't pose a threat in any way shape or form. 

"Do you have any nic on you?" She looked up at me, taking a sip from her diet coke, her shaggy bleached hair was one more dye away from being fried.

"No?" I furrow my eyebrows "I don't usually bring nicotine to a summer camp full of children."

Ashlynn almost looks like she's hungover but then again she usually seems that way "I brought a couple joints and I'm like ninety percent sure two got stolen."

My eyes widen "You brought joints? Ash, you're getting fired if Maria finds out."

She shrugs "I don't mind, I either smoke weed here or I smoke weed in my backyard." 

"Okay but if it actually got stolen then it's probably some little shit that has it, they're gonna say that you gave it to them and that's a whole case."

"It's legalized though."

"Yeah, not for children." I was taken away from the game until I saw the smallest bit of a blue shirt beneath Ashlynn's sweater, I didn't hesitate to drop a balloon on her. She doesn't seem to mind and from this reaction, I'm beginning to think she's the one who smoked those missing joints. 

I come out from behind the tree empty-handed and plant a kiss on her forehead as an apology for getting soaking wet "Love you, Ash, hope you find your weed." I tell her before jogging off. Ashlynn doesn't get up to join everyone else outside of the boundary, she just stays on the log and drinks her diet coke.

Dina is still in the game on my team as well as a few campers, I hear her voice yelling at children somewhere off in the distance. Sadly, the girls in my cabin were picked off almost immediately, I swear I will avenge their little souls.

"You're soaking Conner, get out of here," Dina scolded a kid on the blue team "You gotta play by the rules, so beat it shrimp."

"Nuh-uh," He said. Lord knows I hated this kid, last summer when I went to the bathroom during dinner Conner stole my food and denied it even though he was the only one in the mess hall with two plates, he then kicked me in the shins and waddled away.

"You gotta go, baby hippo," I tell him, his round cheeks are bright red from running and he's short-breathed. He shakes his head and with a final stern look from both Dina and I, he leaves. "Nice, who's left?"

"One camper on our team and just Ellie over there," She tells me "Like best case scenario, just go over there and seduce Ellie."

I raise an eyebrow "Nah, I'm winning with brute strength and incredible strategy."

"I'm guessing that going for the little kids first is your definition of incredible strategy?"

"Yup," I say, walking to a bucket to grab another balloon "Get ready, this could go south."

"God forbid we tragically lose our lives in a water balloon war," Sarcasm drips from her tone even though she grabs another balloon.

"I know, that would be awful," I say with full seriousness.

Dina is struck with a water balloon out of nowhere "Shit," She mutters, looking at her now dripping shirt. I don't think I've ever reacted so quickly to anything in my life, I throw a balloon at Ellie and it barely hits her, but it still does.

"Look, you're wet," I smile, brighter than I had this whole summer "You're wet, you lost!" I'm almost jumping around, I'm so unreasonably happy at such a stupid thing. "I won!" I yell trying to capture the attention of the CITs so my win could go on record. 

"Fuck yeah!" Dina gives me a high five then looks at Ellie "You lost!"

"You lost," I say in a sing-song voice "Red team wins," I grab Dina's hand and raise to the sky like she's just won a wrestling match "We win, you're all wet!"

"You're wet too, D," Ellie says.

"Yeah, but you lost!" Dina wraps me in a hug around my torso, pinning my arms down and shaking me back and forth.

"Ew, get off," I can't help myself from laughing "But seriously I won, put that on record."

"Wow they have their worst player guarding the flag," I say, we were nearing dinner now and everyone was getting tired out, not me though, I had a war to win. Capture the Flag was the last game and that game is my shit, I know I said that about every other game but I really mean it this time. 

"I always forget that you're way too into this," Ellie says, she's unmoving in front of the blue team flag, pole stuck into the ground. 

"Ellie, you need to let me win," I say "Or I will do unspeakable things to you."

"Is that a threat or a promise?" She teases.

"Whichever you want," I almost surprised myself by saying this but it just slipped from my mouth like wax off the wings of Icarus. Behind me, I feel a harsh slap on my back and swiftly turn around to see a pudgy kid with a huge smile on his face. 

"You have to go to jail," Conner says and if he wasn't a child who stood at 4'3 I probably would've hit him.

"Yeah, I know, Conner," I glance at Ellie who is biting back a laugh and gives an obnoxious little wave as Conner drags me by the hand towards the jail. He waddles along, clinging to two of my fingers, his hands are greasy and slippery, whatever reason, I'm not sure I want to know.

He takes me to a rope circle laid out on the ground, there's already a handful of people on my team in it. Conner drops me off there, sticking his tongue out before scurrying away as fast as he could (Which wasn't very fast). There's one blue team guard, I recognized him from Jesse's cabin. 

I'm far too bitter for someone playing a harmless camp game, I hold a grudge easier than I hold someone's hand. "Why are you here?" A boy from Miles cabin asks.

"Because I got tagged, Emmet," I say, agitated. "Why are you here? Because you can't outrun an eight-year-old?"

His smile drops "Yeah," He looks down at his shoes, kicking some dirt. 

"How are we supposed to get out and win this?" Another boy asks.

"Jesus," I mutter "How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"Fifteen and you've never played Capture the Flag?"

He nods his head "I mostly play COD and Fortnite."

"Oh my god," I run my hands down my face, fighting the urge to gag "Someone from our team who isn't tagged has to tag us, they can only tag one person at a time and we get a free walk back to our side if we're tagged, to win the game you need to capture the other teams flag- you know what, I feel like this is pretty self-explanatory."

"So who's going to tag us?"

"Probably no one because a kid with Fortnite skills isn't really worth saving" I answer and he falls quiet. Harsh? yes. Necessary? No, but I was annoyed.

"Hey, Crawford," A voice says, she's standing a few yards back with one of her friends giggling.

"Oh, hey," The guy guarding us, coughs, deepening his voice "What's up."

"I can't believe you're actually playing this game," The girl sniggers.

"Nah, I'm just waiting for Lucas," He lies.

"Find him later, come hang out," She smiles at him.

Crawford looks from us to her, and with little to no hesitation, he goes with the girls. Once I see their figures retreat beyond the trees, I look around to see if there are any more people on the blue team around before stepping out of the rope circle.

"I thought you said we had to get tagged by someone else before we could leave," The boy says, looking around nervously as if he was buying pot in an alley.

"Are you a narc?" I ask.

"No?"

"Then we're good to go," I say, ushering my team out of the circle. The sun has just begun to set, casting an orange hue over everything and making it look like it had been touched by Midas. While the rest of my team runs back to our side where they are safe from being tagged, I have something else on my mind, Ellie Williams. 

I began to retrace my steps back to where Ellie waited with the flag and where I'm sure a bunch of overeager kids were patrolling to protect the priceless flag from the claws of the evil red team.  Ellie was never into these games until I was, the second I had the urge to win something, she was compelled to beat me.

Someone hadn't been looking where they were sprinting when they crashed into me at full speed, they would've knocked me down if they weren't the same height as an Oompa Loompa. She let out an 'Oof' while she fell to the ground "Chloe?"

"Hi," She looks up at me, and quickly the posse rolls around. All of the girls in my cabin, even Tamar and Morgan were actively participating.

Leslie ran up to me and hugged me around my legs "Hi, girls," I said with furrowed eyebrows. The past two weeks I had struggled to even get them to collectively go to breakfast without putting up a fight because they didn't want to. "How's the game going?"

"We know where the flag is!" Valentina peeps up, she has mud smeared under her eyes like war paint. 

"Yeah, but Ellie's there and I'm scared of her," Leah mentions.

"Well, we're all together now so we can strategize," A smile cracks onto my face.

"We should put a scorpion in her hair," Kim has a wild grin on her tanned face, her honey-blonde hair is tangled into a rat nest, with a couple of leaves in there.

"No, good idea though, we'll save that one for later," I point at Kim "I was thinking that I could distract Ellie while half of you keep the other guards away and the other half grabs the flag and makes a break for it."

Kim nods enthusiastically, Tamar doesn't seem thrilled by the idea but she doesn't object to it so I take her silence as a win. This is the exact moment I put on my invisible captain hat, giving each of my girls a specific role with the promise I would sneak them candy on Saturday if they pulled this off. 

With each passing minute, the sky got darker and darker, I wanted to finish this game until Joel and Tommy made the counsellors walk around with headlamps on to keep an eye on everyone. "Hi, El."

"What do you want?" She's been standing in the same spot for a little over an hour, her vexation was shining through in her tone. 

"To be done with this game," I say, prepping myself for the little heist "This is really dragging on and- I saw Crawford run off with some girls from your cabin."

"Who the hell is Crawford?" She furrows her eyebrows.

"One of Jesse's boys, I know it's an unfortunate name."

"Who did he leave with?"

"Uh," I rack my brain for their names "Cindy and the rude one."

She nods, immediately knowing who I was talking about from my vague description "So, when are you gonna run past me and steal the flag?"

"What?" I acted like her question was incredulous "Why would you think that's what I'm trying to do?" I'm so bad at acting, I'm behaving like one of those wasted middle-aged men who get pulled over on the freeway and pretend that they're stone-cold sober by making a bunch of hand gestures while they talk.

"You're awful at acting," She says, crossing her arms, I watch the veins tense in her forearm below her tattoo sleeve.

"Fuck," I muttered "Fine, I give up," I plop myself on the ground, my spine against the trunk of a tree, I look up at Ellie "Okay, I'm officially over these games."

She raises an eyebrow and I can tell that she doesn't believe me. "First of all, you're sitting in mud. Second of all, eleven years of bloodshed and you're giving up out of nowhere?"

"It's not out of nowhere, I'm just getting older," I say the second half a little quieter "I'm in college I need to stop acting immature."

We both fall silent, she doesn't know what to say to this. Ellie usually wasn't the best at comforting me in whichever situation, I remember back when I was fourteen and a wreck because my first dog died and all she could do was give me a hug and ask if I wanted water. 

"You’re not immature," Ellie says, unsure of what to do.

"Alrighty," I press my lips together in a thin line, equally diffident. "I'm just bored of this, it's gotten kind of repetitive."

"Then what do you wanna do?" She asks, in this light she's dimly illuminated by the setting sun. She looks like a sculpture carved from honey.

"Keep looking at me like that and I'll do whatever you want," I smile.

"Are you trying to flirt with me?"

"Is it working?"

"Not entirely," She says, behind her, there's a snap and just before she turns around I call her attention back to me. I saw Valentina, Chloe, and Olive emerging from behind trees, just seconds away from victory.

"Okay," I chuckle "Help me up?"

Ellie regards me for a second before taking my hand stretched wide. The second her hand clasps in mine I pull her down with all of my might and believe me when I say this is no easy feat, Ellie was sturdy. Luckily I caught her off guard and managed to pin her beneath me, I straddle over her torso, gesturing for the girls to run.

"Go!" I whisper-shout so others on the blue team can't hear me. Ellie grabs me by the waist and uses momentum to flip me over, now I'm the one with my back in the mud and she sits overtop of me. 

She had been so close that our lips brushed, and I had felt my heart stop, I almost didn't want to move just to see what would happen next but in utter panic, I reached next to me, a handful of mud and smeared it down Ellie's face. "You're so gross," She squeezes her eyes shut, leans back and begins to scoop mud off her face, I use this as my opportunity to wriggle out from beneath her.

It takes me a minute to get off my knees and onto my feet, by this point, almost the entirety of my legs are covered in mud, leaves, sticks, and probably bugs. I try to take off but my sneakers betray me and I fall face-first into the mud.

Of course, Ellie sees this and she's laughing so hard she needs to support herself, one forearm against a tree while her other is clutching her stomach. I scoop up more mud, almost squirming in distaste from the sensation of it caked beneath my nails but I still throw it at Ellie with perfect accuracy. 

She tenses up when I do this. Once again I struggle to my feet but this time I am victorious, I stay frozen in place for a moment to be sure I won't face plant again. When I'm sure that I won't fall, I bend down to throw another mud pie at Ellie for good measure than I'm off to see if my girls completed the mission.

When I finally got back to my side I saw my team already celebrating "Woohoo!" I yell and the crowd immediately falls quiet, regarding my current state. I probably look like a creature who's just crawled out of a stagnant swamp. 

"Why does she look like that?" Ashlynn whispers to Bowie who doesn't respond and from his red eyes alone, I know the reason why.

"C'mon girls," I smile "Bring it in!" I open my arms for my cabin to come in for a hug but they just back away from me with wrinkled noses. 

Tommy looks at me "Why are you dirty?" I knew he was getting sassy when he propped his hands on his hips "What happened in the ten-minute gap since I last saw you that has made you so filthy?" It wasn't malice in his voice but genuine curiosity, Tommy was a fun-loving guy for the most part.

I shrugged "I wouldn't know, mate, you tell me." His eyebrows furrowed as his confusion delved even deeper. He looked into my soul from across the clearing. Eventually, Ellie makes her way to join me, she's a little better off than I am though she's still grimy.

"Oh, great, you too," Tommy says, gesturing to his niece. 

Joel lets out a deep sigh "You two better shower before dinner."

I let the hot water run over my body, dripping down and consuming me whole. Ellie and I are the only ones in the showers, we're separated by nothing more than a divider though the steam is so heavy I wouldn't have been able to see her regardless. 

Since we were sent to grab a change of clothes and clean off Ellie had been almost silent, she wasn't even teasing me back or making a punchline when I had thrown out an obvious setup. 

After thoroughly washing the grime off of my body I turned the shower off, walking over the laminated bench where Ellie and I had out put our clothing only to find them missing. For a minute I thought I was crazy and had misplaced them but after awkwardly pattering around the shower house, I realised they were gone.

"Hey, Ellie," I say on the other side of her shower stall "Someone stole our clothes."

"You're hilarious," She deadpanned, not an ounce of amusement in her tone.

"Yeah, I know but I'm not joking."

I hear the water turn off in her stall, she pokes her head out and looks at the bench "Where did you put them?"

"I didn't put them anywhere," I say, in an attempt to sound convincing. "Someone took our shit," All that was left behind we're Ellie's Converse, knocked onto the ground and my carabiner with keys, a flashlight, and my shark keychain. 

"Fuck," Ellie mutters and looks around for a moment before her eyes land on me and she quickly averts her gaze, "Can you turn around?"

"It's nothing I haven't seen before."

"I hate you."

"I hate you too." I tell her though I do turn around "What's the plan here?"

"I'm looking."

"I already did, dumbass."

"Thoroughly." She adds.

I stare at empty shower stalls and white tile walls while Ellie checks every single spot that I already have. I can hear only her and the plop of dribbles of water splattering against the cold ground. The steam is still heavy and easy on my sharp lungs.

"I can't find them," Ellie says at last. "But I did find some clothes that look like they could've belonged to Adam Sandler.”

"Yeah, no shit," I turn around and see her standing there completely nude, she moves quickly out of my eye line and into a stall "You've changed in front of me a million times, what's different now?" I say, nonchalantly, walking past her.

"Maybe I don't want you to see me buck naked."

"I think I just heard something," I stop in my tracks.

 "not really the time-

"Why do you always think I'm fucking with you?" I ask, furrowed eyebrows.

"Because-

"Shh," I hush her trying to listen for the sound. I walked toward the entrance of the shower house there was a large wall in front of the door so no one could open the door to peek in, they had to go around the wall and properly enter, the same way most locker rooms were set up. I'm about ten yards away from the entrance when I see a figure poke their head out, just a quarter of its face, I can see their amber eye. They spot me in almost a split second and jet out in a blur, I hear the door open and crashing shut, their feet scrambling away. Just like that, I felt my blood run cold. 

"Fuck!" I yell, scuttling back towards the stalls "Ellie, there's fucking someone in here!" My heart is beating faster than I think it ever has before and I almost feel sick with the thought that someone was in here the entire time Ellie and I had been vulnerable and unaware. 

"What?" She steps out of the stall and looks around before she sees me. I'm on the floor, my knees to my chest and eyes wide. "You saw someone?"

"Yes!" I say throwing a hand out to gesture to the divider "They were hiding behind there and fucking watching us!"

"Shit," She says, walking towards the wall and looking behind it, she freezes too. Ellie turns towards me and the doubt on her face is gone "We need to find some clothes and get out of here."

"What?" I say "Did you see something?"

Ellie begins to open every single locker, tossing articles of clothing that people left behind on the ground. She wasn't exaggerating earlier when she said she found clothes that could've belonged to Adam Sandler. No wonder they were left behind.

"What was it?" I press again.

"Just some mud tracks, they were probably ours," She dismisses. "Now get dressed."

This doesn't ease me in the slightest, I'm so on edge that I haven't made a joke about Ellie and I casually being naked in front of each other. How ridiculous the pair of us looked didn't aid me in calming down; Ellie was wearing a black T-shirt about three sizes too large that read 'Ask me about my IBS' with a caricature of a man-eating cheese beneath it, this was paired with blue basketball shorts that had two white stripes running down the side. "How's your IBS?" I tease.

"It's a constant battle." At least she had her shoes, I had to wear flip-flops that hardly fit, so small I almost thought they belonged to a Barbie. While Ellie was moderately comfortable, I was not, I had to wear skinny jeans that were crudely cut into Bermuda shorts, matched with none other than an American flag tank top, how patriotic. 

"I'm almost thinking it would be better to go out in nothing," I say, looking at myself in the mirror. I glance over at Ellie, I know she's trying to play it off but I can tell she's shaken.  "You look so stupid."

"Damn," She says "I was just trying to show my support for those with IBS," Ellie jokes, trying to ease the tension.

The both of us are procrastinating on leaving the perceived safety of the shower house. I feel dread emanating from the woods, we will no longer be surrounded by four walls and engulfed by bright light. As we walk towards the entrance I reach for Ellie's hand, intertwining our fingers. "So we're going straight to the mess hall?"

"Yup," She says, giving my hand a little squeeze, it's her way of saying 'I got you'. I wonder if she can sense the panic pulsing through me or distress pumping in my veins. At the door I saw the tracks Ellie was staring at, they hadn't been ours. We walked in with muddy sneakers, these were barefoot prints, and whoever they belonged to had walked in many circles. I'm sick to my stomach once again, fighting the natural urge to vomit until I cry and my parents come to comfort me.

I click my flashlight on, but nothing lays ahead but forest and a beaten path. We stepped out into the darkness, it wasn't a far walk to the mess hall where everyone was gathered but that didn't stop my heart from racing like a rabbit moments away from getting snagged by a terrifying beast. 

My heartbeat slowed the further we walked, so far we hadn't been kidnapped by a pervert. I take a deep breath, trying to push overtly dark thoughts to the back of my mind, next to me Ellie is calm as a marble statue bathed beneath moonlight.

Each breeze makes me shudder despite the humid weather. Suddenly, regarding my current situation, the summer camp doesn't feel like home anymore. It feels like those abandoned houses up the road that my parents had carefully trained me to stay away from. The rustle of leaves is reminiscent of the laugh that belonged to creepy men who used to watch children at the park who didn't belong to them. 

I'm no longer met with the fresh scent of pine but something ancient, something rotted like it's been sitting in the back of the fridge for a decade. It reeks of shit to the point where I'm gagging on nothing like little hands of wind pushing on the back of my throat. 

My hand grows sweaty clasped to Ellie's though she shows no indication of being bothered by this. I hear a rustle somewhere around, whether it's in the trees or the bushes I'm unsure, instinctivly, I freeze. I look around, the gleam from my flashlight gliding across the flora, searching for something that likely isn't there.

"It's okay," Ellie says, her voice tender as a lullaby  "We're fine," She pulls gently on my hand to keep us going but I'm stuck in place. My flashlight is frozen on the body of a rabbit, Its white fur soaked through with red. I break my hand free from Ellie's grip and clasp it over my dry lips to choke down a cry. The entire skin of the rabbit's torso had been torn off on one side from the spine to the stomach, you could see its brown organs, the still beating heart, and everything that made it function was pooling out of it. If it hadn't been for its little head, beady eyes full of fear and perked-up ears, I wouldn't have known it was a rabbit at all. Whatever mauled it did a messy job that it hadn't quite finished like a dull axe to the back of the head. 

Behind the trees, I hear slurping, something wet and hungry. It wretches on what I assume to either be its newest feast or its saliva. It devours every last breath it has, the breathing is shallow and gruff like it's eating so fast it's choking on its meal, though it takes the time to slurp and swallow the remnants of whatever it's chowing down on. I see a pair of golden eyes glint behind a shrub in the cast of my light.

I reach for Ellie's hand again and run like I've never run before. She quickly takes the lead, so fast that she's nearly dragging me along. We don't speak but we understand each other clearly, we need to move. 

Trailing us, I hear heavy steps beating against the dirt pathway. I don't even need to look back to know that it's following u, its heavy, wet breathing is clue enough. I'm starting to feel a burning in my lungs, saliva builds in my mouth and I spit it down onto the pathway, heaving with every quick-paced step.

One of my too-tight pink flip-flops catches a rock stuck in the path and sends me tumbling to the ground. For just a moment I see a pitch-black figure wearing tattered clothing with amber eyes that glow light street lamps gaining on us; I could've sworn it had human hands and feet but I wasn't in my right mind, it's still enough to send adrenaline coursing through my veins. Without even stopping, Ellie pulls me back up and I kick off my other sandal, running barefoot on the trail.

My feet hammer against the dirt, rocks, and pebbles. I can feel the souls of my feet getting sliced and torn though I don't slow down, the sight of the mess hall in the distance makes me run even faster. 

"Hey!" Ellie yells, trying to capture the attention of someone in the mess hall. Her grip on my hand doesn't loosen, in fact, it gets tighter as she pulls me along. I don't know if whatever was chasing us is still there but I'm too mortified to check. 

I wave with my hand clutching my carabiner but it does nothing to garner any kind of attention within the mess hall. Our feet moving faster than we could form thoughts we ran towards the entrance. 

Ellie pulls the door wide open and pushes me in before slamming the door shut behind us. The very second my heaving body hits the floor, everyone's attention falls on us.

"Woah," Miles regards us with confusion before it morphs into a smile on his face "Did you guys just have sex?" He takes a bite of his sandwich, he looks like he got into Ashlynn's stash.

"Why do you look like Adam Sandler and Hilary Duff?" Dina furrowed her eyebrows next to Jesse, he looked like he was trying to work together some type of conclusion for why we were breathing so deeply and why my feet were bleeding. 

I look at Ellie and she meets my gaze, she no longer looks calm. There's a sense of dread written clearly across her features, that thing didn't seem animal, it didn't seem human either and I wasn't sure which was worse, the echo or the answer.  

A/N: Not much to say today but thanks for reading! Love you all.

TAGLIST: @wherearthepilots-blog @diddiqueen my tags are being so weird I’m so sorry if you weren’t tagged

[starlightazriel]

bee 5

desc: modern azriel AU bestfriends>lovers (fem reader)

warnings: smut with eris oops, alcohol/drug addiction/abuse (pills, cocaine), angst, vomiting, bit of adolescent fluff, (im literally so tired I prolly forgot warnings)

other parts can be found on my azriel masterlist

wc: 5.1k

five

I groaned loudly as I rolled over in bed, my eyes feeling near crusted shut. My head pounded from the previous nights activities and there was a knot of dread forming in my stomach thinking about what had happened with Azriel lastnight. Kat had been so wrong, it was a fucking disaster.

"I'm coming!" I call out, the knock at the door had woken me. What time even was it? I opened my mouth in surprise when I was greeted by a delivery man, he was holding a massive bouquet of red and white roses wrapped in paper. "Um, I think you have the wrong spot..." I trailed off, awkwardly scratching my arm as I looked blankly at the flowers.

"No," he double checked the address just in case. "Nope, this is the address... There's no name.. But it's definitely this address," he extends the bouquet out, waiting for me to take the flowers.

"Um, thanks," I said quietly, my eyebrows drawing slightly together as I hesitantly took the bouquet. He only nods and turns back around down the hall, I closed the front door and shook my head, padding back into the kitchen. I stuck my nose into the flowers inhaling the sweet scent deeply, my phone chimed on the counter and I set the flowers down, picking it up, I squinted at the unknown number on the screen.

i figured flowers for your name sweetheart?

who is this?

incredibly charming red head from the club last night, best dressed, devilishly handsome... ring any bells?

how the hell did you get my phone number and my address?

i have my ways

you're not making me feel any better

i'm a powerful man princess, i take it the flowers weren't enough for your name?

I shook my head in disbelief staring down at my phone, who did this man think he was anyway? I bit my lip, retrieving a vase from the cabinet and putting the flowers in some water, I left the wrapping on the counter and padded over to Azriels door. I knocked twice, no answer. I looked down and checked my phone again to check his location and my gut wrenched at the address, his little round picture sitting there on the map of an address I knew well from having to retrieve him at odd hours of the night many times. Cecilles house?

Cecille was forty something, married, looked like a retired model... And had been the bane of my existence for eight months when her and Azriel were fucking last year. Azriel had eventually got bored with her, had talked a ton of shit about her after the fact. He had said that she was psycho, her husband was psycho, he had said that she was obsessed with him after the first time they fucked, and now there he was. Back at her house. And he had spent the night? That's what kissing me had done to him? Sent him back there, I groaned in frustration, my cheeks hot with anger and embarrassment. I felt so dumb for actually believing I would ever have a chance with him. I should have never kissed him.

I chewed on the inside of my lip, my finger hovering over the other conversation. Who gives a fuck what Az thinks anyway? He doesn't want me, clearly doesn't want me if hes with her after we kissed. After he fucking got me off in the back alleyway of Galaxy fucking night club. I made myself a nice coffee while I tried to think of something witty to say, he was so damn smooth and way fucking out of my league. I felt like an idiot.

its y/n. and if youre expecting me to send you flowers in exchange for your name now its not happening.

I smirked to myself as I sent the message I would play his little game with him. Why not? What did I have to lose? My feelings were obviously out in the open now, Azriel should know how I felt about him, I mean I had kissed him. Only a moment later he read it and began typing. I knew his name, Azriel had told me angrily last night that it was Eris, his cocaine dealer. It explained the fancy clothes and all of the jewelry, I thought he must be pretty high up though, with the way he presented himself. He looked like a damn king pin. Probably dangerous, but I didnt care. Not now.

i don't need flowers y/n, how about a date tonight instead? picture it. just you, me, and my massive cock floating on my yacht, dancing under the stars in the harbor.

I almost spit out my coffee at that one, my heart started pounding in my chest at the image that flashed in my mind of him fucking me on a yacht.

you have a yacht? and i can't haha i have work. plus i don't even know you, ill end up on the bottom of the ocean.

never that, but you might feel like it when im done with you. and i sure do princess, ill pay you double of whatever youd make tonight if you call out and come with me.

Again, who the fuck did this guy think he was? Pay me to go on a date with him?! How was I even supposed to respond to that.

im not a sugar baby

i didnt say you were.

you implied it.

i didnt, where do you work sweetie?

maybe you should find out the same way you got my phone number and my address. surprised you didnt know my name too.

i knew your name, i wanted to make you tell me. so what do you say, call out of work for me?

Arrogant insufferable sexy bastard.

sorry, you and your cock will have to duet under the stars tonight.

-

Azriel was currently nodding off in Cecilles apartment feeling like he had hit complete rock bottom. It didnt matter how numb his mind was, didnt matter how high he was, how fucked up he was, he knew this wasnt right.

She was dancing, still in the same silk robe she had worn yesterday, a martini in her hand. "Dance with me Azzy," she twirls, looking down at him, he just shook his head, trying to remember how to form words. So fucked up.

"Im good," he stood up, somehow making his way to the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind him. He nearly fell onto the counter but he caught himself and hunched over, pressing his forehead to the cool marble of the counter. He wished Bee was there, he needed the comfort of her taking care of him like she had done so many times over the years when he pushed his body too far. He felt bile rise to his throat and he soon emptied the contents of his stomach into her pristine sink, he groaned at the sight, feeling like he'd throw up again at the smell alone.

Azriel stumbled back, his head spinning and he gripped the counter, his vision fuzzy. He was panicking a little bit, sweating, his heart pounding. His eyes focused in and out as he tried to look at himself in the mirror, pale, sweaty, cold, hot, everything at the same time. He splashed cold water on his face and rinsed his mouth under the faucet. Cecille had been feeding him Xanax since he had got there and mixed with coke and a 3 day drinking bender... Mixed with her fucking vibe and her house with pictures of her ugly ass husband plastered everywhere and her annoying fucking Chihuahua barking every five minutes.... He had to get the fuck out of here. He pulled out his phone, the screen nearly doubling in his hand.

Cassian, he would call Cass. Rhys wouldn't approve of his state right now, he might even pull him off the event which was only days away now. The three of them had been friends since their adolescent years, Rhys had naturally always been the leader, considering he came from money. Rhys was nineteen when he bought the shop and opened it. He was obviously the boss, a natural leader, Cass the loud, hilarious, boisterous one who was their piercer and certified gym bro, and Az, himself, the quiet, mysterious, artistic one with enough trauma for all three of them, and the shops star artist.

He pressed his phone to the side of his face, the ringing echoed in his head before Cassian answered. "Az, what? Im kinda busy over here," he asked, and by his tone, Azriel could tell he was with a woman.

"I need you to come get me at Cecilles," is all that Azriel managed to get out.

"What? Now? Are you good? You don't sound-"

"Now Cass."

"Alright, hang tight," was the only thing Cass said before the phone went silent again and Azriel shoved it in his pocket before he stumbled out the door. He needed food, and a shower, he smelled like death. He heard Cecille ask where he was going but he ignored her and left her in her house, knowing that she wouldn't follow him out when she was practically naked. He walked the best that he could, but he was visibly fucked up and ended up on a bench near the end of her street. He thought a zyn or a cigarette would help him but he didnt have either, he knew Cass at least would have weed.

Cassians SUV finally bellowed down the street, coming to a screeching halt when he stopped in front of Azriel. "You look like a homeless crack head Az, what the fuck," Cass rolled his window down to say, Azriel grimaced, making his way into the passenger seat of Cassians truck. He knew he looked bad, and he knew Cass said it from a place of love, but it didnt mean that it didnt sting a little.

They drove toward the diner for long silent minutes, Cass had insisted the first thing he needed to do was eat before anything else. He wanted to see Bee though, he had to apologize for the way he treated her. For putting his hands on her.

"I think Im at rock bottom Cass," Azriel muttered when Cassian finally pulled into a parking spot. Cass turned, raising his eyebrows inquisitively. "I fucking choked out Bee last night for talking to my coke dealer in the club, Its 4pm and Im still drunk, and Ive been drunk three, maybe four days straight, just did coke out of a 45 year old woman's asshole and then threw up her sink, and to top all that off she's been feeding me xans since I got there last night," when he heard it all out loud, Azriel had to admit it sounded horrible.

"Damn Az," it wasnt often that Cassian was lost for words, but he didnt know what to say, that or he was afraid to say it.

"I know," he responds, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I gotta eat I need to sober up, I need to apologize," he didnt say to who, but he knew Cass would know who he was talking about.

"You gotta cut back, slowly. I can't have you turning into a shut in again and getting all paranoid and shit and its starting to look like its heading in that direction," Cass was rambling now, Azriels head was spinning as he tried to grasp each word, he pressed his palms into his eyes. "I know- I know you don't like... Facilities... But maybe you need to try outpatient, Az this shits starting to get concerning and I can't watch this shit anymore bro its like.. Bees been in love with you for years right there watching you fuck off and the second you realize you love her back it's like your world is crumbling Az youre fucking spiraling man Im worried, I don't want you to fucking kill yourself fucking around with all this shit. You're stronger than this, fuck just tell her how you feel, stop fucking around and just be better Az, I know you, I know this isn't you," Cass wasnt holding back anymore, Azriel had lifted his head, staring near blankly at him. "Don't look at me like that, I pay attention, doesn't take an idiot to see what's going on, plus Kats big ass mouth helped put the pieces together."

"I could be the best version of myself and I still wouldn't deserve her," he said, and he knew to Cassian that it would sound like an excuse, but it was the only thing that made sense to say.

"Not true Azriel, just do better," he knew for Cassian, it probably was just that simple. "You got a lot positive going for you. Stop letting all this bs drag you down. Cut back Az, seriously. You need to pull your head out of your ass and get your shit together for this event coming up. It's a big deal for the shop and if Rhys saw you like this he'd pull you off of it completely and probably give it to Riley because hes the only one who's remotely close to as good as you." Cass paused for a minute, sighing softly because he knew how much that probably hurt Azriel, but he too knew it was true, nothing about the way he had been behaving was okay. The hole he was digging himself into. And though Rhys dabbled from time to time in their heavier partying years, he never approved of the extent of Azriels habit of coping with substances. "We're gonna go in here, eat, and then I'll take you home to shower."

"Thanks Cass." Azriel said as he tried to swallow down the bile that was rising in his throat. Cutting back was easier said than done.

Rock, fucking, bottom.

-

It had only been a few hours into my shift when Eris strode in, my eyes narrowed, my mouth popping open slightly in surprise. Though, I shouldn't have been surprised, he had figured out my address after all, and my phone number. His eyes were fixed on me, and he was smiling, heading straight for the bar.

"Hello beautiful," he flashes me an almost too white grin as he takes a seat on one of the barstools.

"This is starting to get creepy," I raised an eyebrow trying to keep my tone even, I didnt exactly want him to know his very presence sent my stomach flipping. I slid some menus, our eyes locking, he only chuckled quietly, placing his hand on the menus to stop them from sliding off of the bar.

"You should be flattered, I don't go to all this trouble normally, you're special though. I can tell," his lips twitched and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I was almost sure he had used this line many times.

"Yeah yeah, are you going to order something?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. He was gorgeous... Too arrogant, too rich, out of my league completely. I wouldn't know the first thing to do with a man like this.

"Just an old fashioned with the most expensive bourbon you have," he flashed his smile again, I wanted to roll my eyes but I was almost stunned by my attraction to him.

"No food?" I ask, but I realize by the expression that flashes across his face that it was a stupid question. Of course he wouldn't eat somewhere like Murphys. He probably dined at Michelin star restaurants, we barely had three stars on google.

"I like to dine in... Different types of places, this is a bit... Casual for me," he struggled for the right words, probably trying not to offend me. Little did he know I couldn't care less, I knew it wasnt exactly the nicest place it was a dingy bar overrun with college students and old people. He looked straight out of a Tom Ford ad, of course he wouldn't eat here.

"Im sure," I said and went to grab the step stool so I could reach the top shelf. I made his drink and tried my best not to shake, I could feel his eyes burning into me. "That must be nice," I added an orange twist to finish the drink.

"I suppose a drink will suffice for my name, if its good, and you're off to a good start with just the twist, I can't stand cherries," he added the last part on as an after thought and took a sip, I waited expectantly. "I see they have you back there for a reason," he smirked, I only snorted, giving in to the desire to roll my eyes. "Eris," he finally tells me his name, even though I already knew, I smiled triumphantly.

"Eris," I repeated and I noticed a fire light in his eyes at the sound of his name leaving my lips. "That's cute," I added and it was his turn to snort.

"Cute?" He asked, blinking at me a few times and I just smirked back at him. "I assure you princess, I'm far from cute," his voice dropped just the slightest, making my stomach churn deliciously. "Not too busy. Are you sure you don't want to come out for a late night boat ride with me?"

I bit my lip, considering, could it hurt anything? A relaxing night on the water, handsome sexy man, maybe I'd even get laid.

"I'll see what I can do," I finally decided, and his eyes lit up, looking over me hungrily, I blushed underneath his intense gaze.

"You won't regret it, beautiful," he licked his lip, slowly dragging his finger around the top of his glass, my stomach flipped, my cheeks turning bright red.

"Yeah, we'll see about that."

-

"Who are the flowers from?" Cassian had been dying to ask the question ever since they had arrived at Azriels apartment. He had noticed Azriels reaction when he first saw them and Cass' response was to remove the vase from sight all together and put them away in Bees room before Azriel sent the vase smashing to the wall. Since then, Azriel had showered and calmed down and they were watching Dude, Where's my Car? and were about 4 spliffs deep, Cass' question left him tense all over again.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know who they are from? Do I look like I receive flowers?" Azriel snapped, his tone biting as he turned to glare at Cassian.

"Hey man, Im sorry. I was just curious," Cass threw his hands up in defense, his eyes drifting back to the tv screen. Az shouldn't have been angry at him for asking, but his phone was only burning more of a hole in his pocket now, he had been desperately fighting the urge to check Bees location when he got home and saw the flowers on the counter. He had also desperately fought the urge to inspect them to try and figure out who they were from, though the expensive looking extra bouquet made him wonder if she had given Eris her number in the bar. He cursed himself for not interrupting them sooner.

"It's cool, just on edge," Azriel responded after a long few moments of silence. Bee was at work, she was definitely at work so it couldnt hurt just to check. He slid his phone from his pocket tapping on her name and then more and then... His gut wrenched, his grip on his phone tightening as he stared. Not at work, in the fucking harbor? "She's fucking Eris," Az growled, the words had just slipped out of Azriels mouth, he couldn't help himself. He had met Eris there for fucking blow so many times, fucking entertained his tool ass while he showed off his fucking big ass boat, Azriel had stepped foot on that boat. And now Bee was on that boat probably fucking him.

"Like Irish mob boss looking coke dealer Eris?" Cass' head snapped toward him, his nose crinkling slightly. "That doesn't really seem like Bees' type."

"Do you know any other Eris, you idiot?" Azriel was on his feet now, pacing, trying to come up with any sort of plan in his head that could remedy the absolute disaster that was currently happening. "I have to fucking go over there Cass- I could fucking kill that motherfucker. What is she thinking?" he was rambling, still pacing back and forth across the living room.

"Calm down Az," Cass started, sitting up a little straighter. "You can't go there. She's grown Azriel, she can make her own decisions. You really fucked up this time. You need to take this as a sign to get your head out of your fucking ass and maybe tell her how you feel instead of trying to dull it out with drugs." Cassians tone had had gotten sharper, his eyes narrowed as he looked at his friend. "I think you should get some sleep," he knew his friend needed it, and he did too. "I'll stay on the couch tonight, make sure you don't do anything stupid."

Azriel was seething, but after a long moment of consideration and his body screaming at him for sleep after not having any real rest in days, his shoulders slumped in defeat and he retreated to his room.

-

"So please tell me what the deal is with you and why youre wasting your time with a man like Azriel, you deserve the world on a string, and he can't even get clean for you?" Eris had been dancing around the subject of whether or not I was single all night, I knew he was only wondering about the way that Azriel had dragged me out of Galaxy.

We had in fact danced under the moonlight. I had to admit, his boat was pretty special. I was sipping on a glass of champagne that was from a bottle I had never seen before, and probably cost more than all of my bills for the month put together. Eris had put me in some fancy dress as soon as we arrived, which he assured me belonged only to him and that it was mine now if I wanted to keep it. I had just tried to ignore the fact that he probably kept a whole closet of these things for nights just like this one.

"Hes not my boyfriend," I said, feeling tense now, I had been enjoying the rest of our evening so much until he had to bring Azriel into it. Eris was standing on the deck, his shirt open, pale abdominal muscles gleaming in the moon light, his hair ruffled with the sea breeze and he tipped his head back to sip his champagne his eyes landing back on me. I squirmed underneath his gaze, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"Oh?" he quirked an eyebrow up, taking a few more steps toward me and he leaned on the railing. He looked like he was straight out of a steamy romance movie, I contemplated my choices and wondered who the hell I thought I was coming out here.

"Hes been my best friend since I was nine years old," I explained, rubbing my thumb against the champagne flute, my cheeks reddening under Eris' intense curious gaze.

"Oh," he repeated, but this time less inquisitive and more understanding, maybe even disappointed. "I see," he says carefully and takes a few more steps before he joins me, taking a seat so close that his cologne filled my nostrils, tickling my nose and making me shiver slightly. He smirked, sliding his arm around the back of the couch, my heart pounded in my chest. "Ive heard that one before," he says, almost his tone almost sounding bored. "Obviously in love, both too cowardly to take the leap, left with absolutely nothing. Tragic," He leaned back a bit, I could feel the heat of his arm on the back of the sofa, my blood heated, my mouth popping open in surprise.

"It's not even like that you don't-" I don't even get to finish before he was cutting me off again, I had noticed he liked to do that a lot. His presence commanded attention.

"I can show you, princess," he leaned closer, his nose almost touching mine, my breath caught, my mouth going dry. "That there is other things, much more exciting things," his eyes were dark, swimming with lust as he stared into mine. "Would you like that?" he asked, his voice sounding gravelly and he tilted my chin up, our eyes boring into each others. Is he seducing me?

"I-" I started but he shook his head, pressing his thumb on my lips to stop me from speaking. Is it working? My throbbing pussy said yes. And Az... Doesn't want me. Him going back to Cecille after knowing how I feel about him... It said enough.

"Im not afraid to say what I want," Eris' eyes drifted down for a brief second before landing back on mine, despite the chill in the night air being on the ocean, my entire body felt like it was on fire. "And I want to fuck you under the stars right here, right now, like you deserve," he licked his lips, drawing his head back again to get a good look at me.

"Okay," I croaked out, almost pathetically, he chuckled, grinning triumphantly before he crashed his lips to mine. I gasped softly at the feeling, but wasted no time kissing him back, he was hungry, needy in a way different than Azriel. There was no spark, no soul crushing connection like my kiss with Azriel... But it was fucking hot. Eris was fucking hot, and I needed him to fuck me.

"That's it," he whispers against my now open mouth before he slid his tongue past my lips. He pulled up the silky fabric of the short dress and yanked me on top of him so that I was straddling his lap, his fingers dug into my thighs. I moaned softly at the feeling of his hard cock between us, feeling absolutely desperate for him. My fingers slid over his stomach, feeling the taut muscles and I undid his expensive looking belt, and freed him from his pants, gasping as his hard pink cock slapped his stomach. I watched him roll a condom onto himself with wide eyes, my mouth watering at the sight.

Eris slammed our lips together again, and lifted my hips up his fingers digging into my skin, I knew it would leave bruises. He growled at me to put it in, which I hastily obliged moving my panties to the side for him and guiding his cock to my slick opening.

I cried out when he pulled me back down, sinking deliciously onto his cock. I tossed my head back as he fucked up into me, his fingers still squeezing my hips to guide me to bounce up and down on his cock. "That's it princess," he grunted, his cock slamming into me deeply with each bounce. In a second he had flipped me over to hang over the edge of the couch, cursing under his breath at the sight of my ass bared to him. He was slamming into me again within seconds, his thrusts becoming more sloppy as he got closer and closer. I whimpered, arching my back for him, gripping onto the side of the couch desperately as he fucked me. I moaned softly, my pussy throbbing with each delicious thrust. I huffed softly when he finished, collapsing next to me on the couch after he pulled me up. I couldn't help but be a little disappointed when he was done.

"Thanks for tonight," I finally breathed after a long few moments of silence, playing with the hem of my dress I lifted my eyes to look at him.

"Anytime, truly princess," he smirked before discarding the condom. I had half expected a man of his caliber to notice that I didnt cum. They never did. I sighed softly, ruffling my fingers through my hair.

"I really should be getting home, I have exams to study for in the morning," I swallowed, checking the time on my phone, my face paled as I noticed four new messages from Azriel.

what the fuck are you doing bee?

i told you to stay away from him

so youre just gonna ignore me?

just come home bro

I swallowed the lump in my throat, suddenly feeling guilty I locked my phone. "Now, I have to go now please," I managed and Eris' face twisted in confusion and annoyance, but he didnt protest.

"Come on then."

-

"Bee get up, we're going," Azriel insisted, a look of determination on his face.

"Az no, it's going to be embarrassing," she whispered, her eyes welling up with tears again, "and I already ruined my makeup," she smoothed out her prom dress, staring ahead of her, silent tears running down her cheeks. Azriel winced, he hated when she cried.

"Come on, it can't be that embarrassing to go with me," he smirked, taking a seat next to her on her front step. It was his senior prom, and he had very much been looking forward to fucking his date, Viola, captain of the cheerleading team, at the end of the night.

All of that had changed when he had left his house to pick her up and saw Bee, crying across the street on her front steps. He had warned her about Jax, he had told her it was a bad idea to go to prom with him. She had just wanted to go so bad, and he cursed himself now for letting his dick get in the way and not just asking her if she wanted to go with him as soon as he found out Jax had asked her. Apparently, he had decided last minute that he didnt want to go with Bee, which meant she couldn't go at all because she wasnt a senior.

"You know that's not what I meant," she gave him a dirty look but cracked the tiniest smile at the sight of his. He grinned lazily, glad she wasnt crying anymore and he poked her side.

"Az," she giggled softly, squirming away from him, her eyes met his finally, a big smile spreading across her face.

"There we go," he chuckled softly. "That's my Bee."

-

a/n: just a little bump in the road tehe, sorry about the wait my loves im truly a busy ass person tysm for all the support. comment if you'd like to be added to the tag list. also proof read this so fast cus im so sleepy tell me if you see mistakes.

@smalljasper289 @cynthiesjmxazrielslover @scorpioriesling @userxs-blog @lilah-asteria @jaketlover @judeduartewannbe [last 2 tags aren't tagging im sowwy]